General Atomics Aeronautical Systems

General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc.

Company type	Private
Industry	Aerospace and defense
Headquarters	Poway, California, U.S.[1]
Parent	General Atomics
Website	www.ga-asi.com

Grey Butte Field, outside El Mirage, California, is used by General Atomics as an operational testing facility for their Predator drones.[2]

The Predator UAV

General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI) is a military contractor and subsidiary of General Atomics that designs and manufactures unmanned aerial vehicles and radar systems for the U.S. military and commercial applications worldwide.

Operations

In November 2021, GA-ASI received a $103.2 million contract from the U.S. Army and a $31.7 million contract from the U.S. Navy on behalf of Belgium.[3]

On December 9, 2021, GA-ASI unveiled the General Atomics Mojave drone.[4]

On February 1, 2023, GA-ASI along with partner Maritime Applied Physics Corporation won a Phase 1 research contract on DARPA's Liberty Lifter project.[5][6]

On March 6, 2023, the company announced that DARPA has chosen GA-ASI to carry out the design of the air-launched drone through Critical Design Review (CDR); a LongShot would itself carry an AMRAAM or Sidewinder missile, which greatly extends their range.[7] In this way, an F-15EX or similar 4th-generation fighter can greatly increase its survivability when armed with a LongShot.[7]

On April 11, 2024, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China announced a sanction on the company due to its arms sales to Taiwan.

In May 2024, General Atomics lost its bid for the DARPA Liberty Lifter program, with the contract being awarded to Aurora Flight Sciences.[8]

Products

• General Atomics Gnat
• General Atomics Prowler
• General Atomics Altus
• General Atomics MQ-1 Predator
• General Atomics MQ-1C Gray Eagle
• General Atomics MQ-9 Reaper
• General Atomics MQ-9B Guardian
• General Atomics MQ-20 Avenger

Projects in active Development

• General Atomics Eaglet parasite UAS,[9] prototype stage
• General Atomics LongShot loyal-wingman type UAS,[10] concept stage
• General Atomics Mojave STOL UCAV, derived from the Predator Family, prototype stage
• General Atomics Sparrowhawk parasite UAS, prototype stage
• General Atomics XQ-67A / Gambit Series[11] - First flight on 28 February 2024[12][13][14]

References

1. "Home". ga-asi.com.
2. "The National Guard - California gets first Block 15 Predators". Archived from the original on 2012-11-08. Retrieved 2013-01-09.
3. "GA-ASI Wins $103 Million U.S. Army Aircraft Contract". San Diego Business Journal. 30 November 2021. Retrieved 2022-01-17.
4. Judson, Jen (2021-12-09). "General Atomics unveils new unmanned aircraft named for harsh American desert". Defense News. Retrieved 2022-01-17.
5. "US Defense agency contracts out long-range flying boat designs". The Jerusalem Post, Februanry 2, 2023. Retrieved February 2, 2023.
6. "GA-ASI Selected by DARPA to Support Liberty Lifter Program". General Atomics, February 1, 2023. Retrieved February 2, 2023.
7. Chris Jennewein (6 March 2023) General Atomics Developing 'Paradigm Changing' Drone for Air-to-Air Combat
8. Losey, Stephen (May 10, 2024). "DARPA taps Aurora to keep designing heavy cargo seaplane in $8.3M deal". DefenseNews. Retrieved 11 May 2024.
9. "GA-ASI's Eaglet Takes Its First Flight". General Atomics. Retrieved 28 June 2023.
10. "GA-ASI Continues LongShot Support". General Atomics. Retrieved 28 June 2023.
11. "General Atomics debuts new XQ-67A Air Force sensing drone". 9 February 2024.
12. "AFRL's XQ-67A makes 1st successful flight". Air Force Materiel Command. 2024-02-29. Retrieved 2024-03-01.
13. "GA-ASI Makes First Flight of XQ-67A OBSS". General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc. Retrieved 2024-03-01.
14. Steve Trimble, Aviation Week (18 Sep 2022) The Weekly Debrief: GA-ASI Unveils Auto-Inspired Gambit Platform For Future UAS 4 form factors for Gambit

External links

• General Atomics Aeronautical Systems