ORLANDO, Fla. – Uncrewed aircraft designers at General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc. in Poway, Calif., will build remotely piloted attack and reconnaissance aircraft for the U.S. Army under terms of an $86.4 million contract announced in September.
Officials of the Army Contracting Command in Orlando, Fla., are asking General Atomics to build MQ-9B SkyGuardian uncrewed aircraft, which are based on the General Atomics MQ-9 Reaper uncrewed aerial vehicle (UAV), and deliver long endurance and range, with automatic takeoff and landing under satellite communications (SATCOM)-only control.
The uncrewed aircraft will be able to operate in open airspace using the General Atomics-developed Detect and Avoid system. Other operators of the MQ-9B are Canada, the United Kingdom, Belgium, and Japan.
The MQ-9B can fly for as long as 40 hours in all weather conditions, and has the Lynx multi-mode radar and an infrared imaging sensor. It can carry payloads that weigh 4,751 pounds distributed across nine hard points, and can carry 250- and 500-pound bombs.
Long-range reconnaissance
The MQ-9B can be configured for missions like long-range reconnaissance, anti-submarine and anti-ship warfare, electronic warfare (EW), and mine countermeasures. The UAV has a 79-foot wingspan.
These UAVs can operate in polar and maritime regions, perform border surveillance, monitoring large-scale events, supporting disaster response, reconnaissance missions, and precision strikes.
For more information contact General Atomics Aeronautical Systems online at www.ga-asi.com/remotely-piloted-aircraft/mq-9b-skyguardian, or the Army Contracting Command-Orlando at https://acc.army.mil/contractingcenters/acc-orl/.
