General Atomics‘ aeronautical systems business will install an imagery reconnaissance pod created by Israel-based Rafael Advanced Defense Systems into a Predator B/MQ-9 unmanned aerial vehicle flown by Italy’s air force. The Predator B’s Multi-spectral Targeting System-B full-motion video system interoperates with the RecceLite pod to facilitate the production of geo-referenced, high-resolution digital stills, General Atomics said Thursday. The company added it […] More

A General Atomics subsidiary has signed partnership agreements with CAE and the University of North Dakota’s aerospace foundation in an effort to augment training services for operators of Predator and Reaper remotely piloted aircraft. The UND Aerospace Foundation will provide a flight simulator system to help train students at General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc.‘s RPA Training Academy in North Dakota on how to operate a drone, General […] More

The Naval Research Laboratory has partnered with a General Atomics subsidiary to embed NRL-built inverse synthetic aperture radar imaging software into the company’s Lynx multimode radar system. NRL and General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc. will work to build integrated radar technology for joint warfighter missions under a cooperative research and development agreement, according to an article published Tuesday on the U.S. Navy website. Thomas Pizzillo, […] More

The U.S. Air Force plans to integrate a system with the General Atomics-built MQ-9 Reaper unmanned aerial vehicle that will work to help the UAV perform take off and land automatically, Flightglobal reported Wednesday. Chris Pehrson, senior director of strategic development for General Atomics’ aeronautical systems business, told Flightglobal reporter James Drew that the auto takeoff and landing platform […] More

General Atomics‘ aeronautical systems business has finished rigorous tests on the fuselage structure of  a new variant of its Predator B remotely piloted aircraft. “Completion of this testing signifies that the design of the new fuselage will be able to meet the strict requirements for type-certification and routine operations in national airspace,” Linden Blue, CEO of General Atomics […] More

Chris Pehrson, a senior executive at General Atomics, has told Bloomberg Government that the vast amounts of intelligence data that remotely piloted aircraft’s sensors collect pose a challenge to the command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance sector. Pehrson said in an interview published Thursday that General Atomics’ aeronautical systems business seeks to address that challenge through […] More

The U.S. Air Force has completed a flight demonstration of a United Technologies Corp.-built sensor onboard a General Atomics-made unmanned aerial vehicle, Flightglobal reported Monday. Chris Pehrson, senior director of strategic development for General Atomics’ aeronautical systems business, told Flightglobal reporter James Drew that the service branch performed seven flights between January and February to demonstrate […] More

General Atomics‘ aeronautical systems group conducted the first flight of the extended-range variant of its Predator B remotely piloted aircraft at Gray Butte Flight Test Facility on Feb. 18 to demonstrate launch ability, airworthiness and landing capability. The Predator B/MQ-9 Reaper extended-range long-wing upgrades include 13 feet of additional wingspan designed to boost aircraft endurance by 13 hours, short-field takeoff and landing modifications […] More

Spain’s defense ministry has placed an order for four General Atomics-built Predator B/MQ-9 Reaper unmanned aerial vehicles through a $243 million foreign military sales agreement with the U.S. The contract also covers MTS-B electro-optical/infrared sensors, two Block 30 ground control stations, line-of-sight datalink platforms and Block 20A Lynx multi-mode radar for the Spanish armed forces, General […] More

General Atomics has delivered the final two RQ-1 Predator remotely piloted aircraft systems to the Italian Air Force. Frank Pace, president of aircraft systems at General Atomics aeronautical systems, said Tuesday that “with the delivery of these aircraft, GA-ASI completes over two decades of delivering Predator A capabilities to the United States and allied countries.” […] More

General Atomics has moved to expand the company’s presence in the Middle East and North Africa region with a newly opened office in Abu Dhabi. Frank Pace, president of aircraft systems at General Atomics aeronautical systems, said Sunday the company intends for the new office to support the MENA markets with the Predator remotely piloted […] More

A General Atomics subsidiary has launched a project to equip a company-built military unmanned aerial system with a high-energy laser technology, Defense One reported Wednesday. Defense One quoted Michael Perry, vice president of mission systems at General Atomics’ aeronautical systems unit, as saying the business is developing a laser module for the Avenger drone through […] More