General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc.

GA-ASI Establishes Long-Term Partnership With Kansas State University To Advance Aerospace Training

All right students, pop quiz:

Q. How does an industry leader stay an industry leader?

A. Trick question — there are many ways. But one of the keys is essential education for the next generation of the workforce.

For General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI), the world leader in uncrewed aircraft, that goal has seen substantial progress over a decade-long partnership with Kansas State University Salina Aerospace and Technology Campus. For General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI), the world leader in uncrewed aircraft, that goal has seen substantial progress over a decade-long partnership with Kansas State University Salina Aerospace and Technology Campus.

This effort has brought many people to and from the West Coast and built a new company presence in the Midwest.

“Salina, Kansas, is almost exactly in the middle of the country, and it’s a significant distance from our base in San Diego. But it is home to a new generation of young engineers looking to push the boundaries of uncrewed aircraft — so we want to be there too,” said Sam Richardson, GA-ASI vice president of Sustainment.

So how did a Southern California aircraft manufacturer get tied in with a branch campus in North Central Kansas?

The story starts in 2015, when K-State Salina approached GA-ASI’s Operations Site Manager for Army Missions Samuel Kleinbeck, who was then serving as a chief warrant officer 4 in the U.S. Army, to ask how it could improve its curriculum around large uncrewed aircraft systems, or UAS.

One way you could do it is by bringing me on, Kleinbeck answered — and he began teaching classes at K-State Salina on the subject. Kleinbeck then set up a meeting for K-State officials to meet GA-ASI President David R. Alexander.

Things began to ramp up in 2020, when GA-ASI established a major partnership with K-State that took a number of forms, including the establishment of internships in which K-State students and faculty on sabbatical gained real-world experience working at GA-ASI. General Atomics also made a large gift that created the Flight Path To The Future student lounge in the K-State Salina Technology Center — designed as a senior studio project by an award-winning K-State interior architecture and industrial design student.

“We invested in the Flight Path To The Future because of what it stood for,” Kleinbeck remembered. “We saw it as a place where students could meet and collaborate. Inspire each other forward. It’s kind of the essence of higher education. Students set goals and they work hard to achieve them.”

This sentiment is very much in line with the State of Kansas’ motto, Ad Astra Per Aspera, or: To The Stars Through Difficulty.

Next up was a GA-ASI donation of two Heavy Fuel Engines (HFE), the same engines used on its Gray Eagle UAS, a model used extensively by the U.S. Army. The engines were given to the K-State Salina Aviation Maintenance Hangar Lab, and they were the first HFEs ever worked on by students in the lab.

It Was Textbook

GA-ASI also contributed to the best-selling textbook used at K-State, Introduction to Unmanned Aircraft Systems. Subject matter experts throughout the company authored sections on UAS safety, design, electrical systems, detection and avoidance, and propulsion. The third edition of the engineering textbook, featuring GA-ASI’s contributions, was published in March 2021.

“All these aspects of the partnership support K-State Salina’s vision to lead the nation as the most technically progressive institution for developing talent in the aerospace and technology industries,” said Dr. Alysia Starkey, CEO and Dean of K-State Salina.

That wasn’t all.

Beginning in 2021, GA-ASI and K-State Salina collaborated on the curriculum for a Master of Science degree in Aeronautics & Airworthiness Certification, making K-State Salina the only institution to offer that advanced program. GA-ASI also stepped up that year to fund dozens of senior projects for K-State students as well as to donate 6,000 pounds of raw material to support K-State Salina programs in Mechanical Engineering Technology and Composites.

“Between our donations and hands-on contributions to K-State Salina’s education programs, we saw our investments in the university really take shape and we began to see the kind of quality students they were producing who were interested in a career in aerospace,” Sam Richardson said.

Largest Corporate Gift

In June 2022, a team from K-State visited GA-ASI headquarters in California with a request: what if we created a way for students to work on a working flightline right from the campus of K-State Salina?

The donation, university officials argued, would create something that exists almost nowhere else: an access point for students that connects to the facilities of the former Schilling Air Force Base and would further strengthen the real-life aeronautical studies possible at K-State Salina.

It also enhanced the campus’s learning environment to meet the needs of the ever-changing aerospace industry, making the campus one of the premier learning spaces in the country for aerospace education.

When GA-ASI agreed to make a $10 million donation, it became the single largest corporate gift in K-State Salina history.

GA-ASI CEO Linden Blue recalled, “We had been working with K-State Salina for a number of years, and we recognized that the time was right to invest in their Aerospace and Technology Campus. Their campus had a laser-focused vision to be a leader in aerospace and technology, and we were ready to support them. As General Atomics looks to the future of the aerospace industry, we are proud to have K-State Salina as our educational partner.”

A Partnership for Today and Tomorrow

Building upon the decade-long partnership between GA-ASI and K-State Salina, K-State Salina’s Dean Starkey said she has worked with GA-ASI to engage industry in redefining aerospace and technology education. Their joint efforts have contributed to a well-prepared, safety-conscious, and industry-informed workforce that is advancing the needs of U.S. technology companies, aerospace manufacturers, maintenance providers, and operations organizations.

In 2024, Kansas State University secured federal funding to help it adapt and meet the needs of the next generation of pilots, mechanics, and other aeronautical engineering positions. U.S. Senator for Kansas, Jerry Moran, has announced a federal grant to build a $28 million facility that will serve as an education hub for several of K-State Salina’s programs.

The new facility is the second phase of the plan to renovate the southernmost end of the K-State Salina campus, just as the GA-ASI Aerospace Innovation Ramp did after GA-ASI’s $10 million gift in October 2022.

GA-ASI has established a new office in downtown Salina in the heart of the K-State community. The ribbon cutting took place on April 9, 2026.

“This new office is just another example of GA-ASI’s commitment to K-State, the local community, Kansas, and to aerospace education in the United States,” said Craig Bronson, GA-ASI’s Salina site manager. “This office is a symbol of GA-ASI’s long-term commitment to supporting aerospace programs for students and ensuring that the right training and educational opportunities are in place to provide GA-ASI and the entire industry with topflight talent.”