High-quality intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance is essential for the United States and its allies – but gathering it can be dangerous work. In more than a dozen incidents around the world over the past two years, and many others before that, irresponsible pilots have threatened, harassed, damaged and, in some cases, destroyed American or allied ISR aircraft, often placing the pilots and air crews inside in extreme jeopardy.
There’s been a lot of talk about building a new generation of autonomous systems to help the U.S. and its allies preserve their advantage in airpower. General Atomics Aeronautical Systems is leading the way. To understand how, consider the scale and nature of the challenge: Tomorrow’s Air Force needs large numbers of versatile, highly capable aircraft to scout ahead, share what they sense, take on tasks and act largely on their own.
As it ushers in the coming era of Expeditionary Advanced Base Operations, the Marines are turning to sophisticated unmanned aircraft to outmaneuver these threats.
Unmanned aircraft have been revolutionizing intelligence, military, and so many other applications for years. Now their impact extends to the way navies operate at sea. Leading the way is the MQ-9B SeaGuardian®, which enables the most advanced navies, coast guard agencies, and other maritime authorities to patrol longer, detect more, and make existing units much more effective.
The vision of integrating unmanned aircraft systems, or UAS, into airspace alongside traditional manned aircraft is rapidly becoming a reality. UAS play a pivotal role in accomplishing a wide array of critical tasks, and as our utilization of these systems increases, so does our proficiency in operating and handling them. However, to fully reap those benefits, it is imperative that UAS are granted authorization to fly in a civil airspace.
Environmental change and strategic competition are reshaping the Arctic. Traffic is increasing across newly accessible shipping lanes. Untapped natural resources are coming within reach. And tensions are mounting as Arctic and near-Arctic nations compete for commercial and military dominance.
The coming decades will bring unprecedented challenges to American sea power. The U.S. Navy and its allies have never faced a range of threats quite like those arrayed in opposition to peace and stability on the world’s oceans. That’s why Washington and its allies are rethinking the right mix for their own forces to meet the task.
Air control is a cornerstone of American and allied military power – but it can’t be taken for granted. An array of high-tech new aircraft and threats mean that the old ways of establishing and keeping air superiority will be increasingly challenged.
The Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies and General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI) presented the 2022 Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPA) Squadron of the Year Award to the 2nd Special Operations Squadron (SOS) at a special ceremony at the Air Force Association’s Air, Space & Cyber Conference on Sept. 11, 2023.
General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI) will be inducted into International Air & Space Hall of Fame during an event at the San Diego Air & Space Museum on Saturday, Oct. 21, 2023.
During a special event at the 2023 Air, Space & Cyber Conference at National Harbor, Maryland today, the Air Force Association (AFA) presented General Atomics’ Chairman and CEO Neal Blue and Linden S. Blue with the John R. Alison Award.
General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI) is poised to begin the flight-testing phase on the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency’s (DARPA) LongShot program.
The Royal Netherlands Air Force (RNLAF) will double the number of MQ-9A Remotely Piloted Aircraft they will procure, taking the total order from four to eight aircraft. The first four MQ-9A Block 5 Reapers and associated Ground Control Stations were delivered to the RNLAF in 2022.
General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI) hosted a grand opening event on August 9, 2023 to mark the opening of its newest hangar at the Grand Sky Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) Business Park near Grand Forks, North Dakota.
General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI) advanced its ability to operationalize the Unmanned Combat Air Vehicle (UCAV) ecosystem by combining advanced autonomy and government-provided human-machine interface (HMI) hardware.
On August 1, 2023, General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI) completed multiple successful takeoffs and landings with its Mojave Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) on a dirt strip near El Mirage, Calif.
General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI) congratulates the U.S. Marine Corps (USMC) on achieving a significant milestone of surpassing 20,000 flight hours with their Marine Air-Ground Task Force (MAGTF) Unmanned Expeditionary (MUX) Medium-Altitude, High-Endurance (MALE) MQ-9A Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS).
The U.S. Air Force flew a remotely piloted aircraft equipped with an Angry Kitten® ALQ-167 Electronic Warfare Countermeasure Pod for the first time on April 27, 2023. General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. integrated the pod onto the aircraft.
General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA‑ASI) today announced that its family of Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS), which includes the Predator®, Reaper, Gray Eagle, Avenger®, and MQ-9B SkyGuardian®/SeaGuardian® lines, has surpassed eight million flight hours.
In collaboration with the California Air National Guard (CA ANG), National Guard Bureau (NGB), AT&T FirstNet, California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (OES), and the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE), General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc.
As General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI) continues towards its development goal of earning Technical Standard Order (TSO) authorization from the FAA for its internally developed Detect and Avoid (DAA) system, the company has selected Belgium-based ScioTeq to supply a certified processor and display for its DAA solution.
General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI) conducted the first flight of its new 200-horsepower heavy fuel engine on a Gray Eagle aircraft at its El Mirage flight facility on May 9, 2023.
Three senior engineers from General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI) were honored with awards from the San Diego section of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) in the areas of outstanding aerospace engineering and engineering management.
As part of a U.S. Navy contract, an MQ-9B SeaGuardian® Unmanned Aircraft System from General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI) supported the NORTHERN EDGE 2023 (NE23) exercise May 8-19, 2023.
General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI) is supporting a demonstration that began in March and is featuring two U.S. Army-owned Gray Eagle Extended Range (GE-ER) Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS).
In support of the U.S. Navy’s (USN) Integrated Battle Problem 2023 (IBP-23) exercise in May, General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI) conducted a series of Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) exercises cooperatively with the USN Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadrons (HSM) 38, 49, 71, and 75.
Following delivery of the first two MQ-9A Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) that were procured upon the successful completion of a Company-Owned Company-Operated (COCO) Deployment Contract, General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI) and the U.S. Marine Corps (USMC) are celebrating the delivery of the first new-build MQ-9A Extended Range (ER) UAS to Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) on April 19, 2023.
On May 1, 2023, the Royal Air Force (RAF) began training its first cohort of pilots, sensor operators, and mission intelligence coordinators on operating its new Protector Remotely Piloted Aircraft System (RPAS) at the Flight Test & Training Center (FTTC) in Grand Forks, N.D. The FTTC is owned and operated by General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc.