SAN DIEGO — General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc. (GA-ASI) has flight-tested a SoftBank communications payload aboard an MQ-9B uncrewed aircraft for disaster-relief and emergency communications.
GA-ASI integrated SoftBank's Disaster Relief Unit (DRU) communications pod onto an MQ-9B and flew the system July 27.
MQ-9B serves as an airborne communications relay
The payload allows the MQ-9B to operate as an airborne mobile-network relay, establishing communications over areas where cellular towers have been damaged or are otherwise unavailable. The companies are targeting disaster-relief and recovery operations, including areas affected by floods and other natural disasters.
"This is an exciting achievement for GA-ASI and SoftBank," said GA-ASI President David R. Alexander. "It's been a great experience working with SoftBank, and we believe this capability will be of interest to many of our MQ-9B operators for disaster relief and emergency communications applications."
MQ-9B supports multiple missions
The test adds disaster-relief communications to the MQ-9B's range of applications. The remotely piloted aircraft is designed for long-endurance operations in varying weather conditions.
MQ-9B aircraft currently operate with the United Kingdom, Belgium and the Japan Coast Guard. Canada, Denmark, Poland, Germany, Qatar, Taiwan and India have also selected the aircraft.
GA-ASI develops long-endurance uncrewed aircraft systems, including the MQ-9A Reaper, MQ-1C Gray Eagle, MQ-20 Avenger and MQ-9B SkyGuardian and SeaGuardian.
