Australian Defence Force Selects GA-ASI’s MQ-9B for Project Air 7003
5.12.2019 04:28:00 EET | Business Wire | Press release
General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI), the world’s leading manufacturer of Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS), has been advised that the Australian Government has selected GA-ASI’s MQ-9B SkyGuardian® variant to provide the Armed RPAS for the Australian Defence Force (ADF) under Project Air 7003. This follows the Government’s announcement in November 2018 that GA-ASI would provide Armed RPAS to the ADF. The ADF expects to take first delivery in the early 2020s.
This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20191204005989/en/
The Australian Government selected GA-ASI’s MQ-9B SkyGuardian® variant to provide the Armed RPAS for the Australian Defence Force under Project Air 7003. (Photo: Business Wire)
“We have worked closely with the ADF to determine the right RPAS to meet their needs,” said Linden Blue, CEO, GA-ASI. “MQ-9B will provide the all-weather, multi-mission support, and interoperability that the ADF requires. We look forward to working closely with our Australian industry partners to provide a highly capable RPAS to the ADF, while creating high-tech jobs in Australia.”
The ADF joins other top-tier military forces in choosing a GA-ASI RPAS because of its proven multi-role combat performance. MQ-9B is part of GA-ASI’s Predator® series of RPAS, which is the world’s most trusted and capable armed Medium-altitude, Long-endurance (MALE) RPAS, and hails from a family of aircraft that has flown more than six million flight hours.
The UK Royal Air Force (RAF) is acquiring the MQ-9B as part of its Protector RG Mk1 program and is scheduled for first delivery in the early 2020s. The Government of Belgium has approved Belgian Defense to negotiate for the acquisition of MQ-9B to meet the nation’s RPA requirements.
MQ-9B development is the result of a five-year, company funded program to deliver an unmanned aircraft system to meet the stringent airworthiness type-certification requirements of NATO and civil aviation authorities throughout the world. MQ-9B is provisioned for the GA-ASI-developed Detect and Avoid (DAA) system, which consists of air-to-air radar, Traffic alert and Collision Avoidance System (TCAS II), and Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B). The MQ-9B is built for all-weather performance with lightning protection, damage tolerance, and de-icing system.
GA-ASI announced its intention to offer a MALE RPAS to the ADF during AVALON 2017 with the launch of Team Reaper Australia, a robust group of Australian industry partners. The team currently consists of ten world-class Australian companies providing a range of innovative sensor, communication, manufacturing and life-cycle support capabilities including Cobham (lead industry partner), CAE, Raytheon, Flight Data Systems, TAE Aerospace, Quickstep, AirSpeed, Collins Aerospace, Ultra, and SentientVision.
Hi-resolution images of the MQ-9B SkyGuardian are available to qualified media outlets from the GA-ASI media contact list.
About GA-ASI
General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI), an affiliate of General Atomics, is a leading designer and manufacturer of proven, reliable Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPA) systems, radars, and electro-optic and related mission systems, including the Predator® RPA series and the Lynx® Multi-mode Radar. With nearly 6 million flight hours, GA-ASI provides long-endurance, mission-capable aircraft with integrated sensor and data link systems required to deliver persistent flight that enables situational awareness and rapid strike. The company also produces a variety of ground control stations and sensor control/image analysis software, offers pilot training and support services, and develops meta-material antennas. For more information, visit www.ga-asi.com.
Predator, SkyGuardian and Lynx are registered trademarks of General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc.
To view this piece of content from cts.businesswire.com, please give your consent at the top of this page.
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20191204005989/en/
Contact information
Steven Henden
General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc.
+1 (858) 524-8101
ASI-MediaRelations@ga-asi.com
About Business Wire
For more than 50 years, Business Wire has been the global leader in press release distribution and regulatory disclosure.
Subscribe to releases from Business Wire
Subscribe to all the latest releases from Business Wire by registering your e-mail address below. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Latest releases from Business Wire
AI Investment Is Surging, but Businesses Are Struggling to Prove the Value, HTEC Global Study Finds15.10.2026 11:42:00 EEST | Press release
HTEC, a global product engineering and AI transformation company, today launches The HTEC AI Value Realization Report 2026, revealing a new challenge emerging as organizations move beyond AI experimentation: investment is accelerating faster than many companies’ ability to measure, govern and consistently realize its value. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20261015407055/en/ HTEC, a global product engineering and AI transformation company, today launches The HTEC AI Value Realization Report 2026, revealing a new challenge emerging as organizations move beyond AI experimentation: investment is accelerating faster than many companies’ ability to measure, govern and consistently realize its value. The independent study finds that 79% of organizations have increased AI investment over the past year, with spending rising by 31% on average. Yet 77% of executives now believe AI value is constrained more by people and pr
Flowdesk Europe Receives Payment Institution Authorization from the ACPR Under PSD215.10.2026 10:30:00 EEST | Press release
Flowdesk, a global liquidity provider and digital asset trading and infrastructure provider, today announced that its European entity, Flowdesk Europe, has been authorized as a Payment Institution by the French Prudential Supervision and Resolution Authority, l'Autorité de contrôle prudentiel et de résolution (ACPR), under the second Payment Services Directive (PSD2). The authorization allows Flowdesk Europe to provide custody and transfer services for e-money tokens (EMTs), the fiat-referenced stablecoins regulated under the Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) regulation, to its clients across the European Union. The authorization follows the entity’s Crypto-Asset Service Provider (CASP) authorization received from the Autorité des Marchés Financiers (AMF) under MiCA at the end of June this year. With both authorizations in place, Flowdesk Europe can now support its EU clients across the trading, custody, and transfer of crypto-assets and EMTs, reflecting the firm’s long-standing commitme
Too Good To Go Expands Its Marketplace Beyond Food15.10.2026 10:30:00 EEST | Press release
Too Good To Go, the world's largest marketplace for surplus food, today announced that it is expanding its Marketplace beyond food, enabling retailers to redistribute surplus across personal care — including skincare, haircare, oral care and beauty products — pet care, flowers and plants, nutrition and supplements, and home, initially spanning cleaning and laundry products and décor. More than 8,500 stores already supply products across these areas, around one third of which were already working with Too Good To Go to redistribute surplus food. “In today’s society, we have built incredibly efficient processes for producing and selling things at scale, creating abundance, but we have not built the same efficiency into making sure what is left over gets used. As our lives have become more convenient, we have become less conscious of what those things are worth. We used to finish what was on the plate, find a use for what we had and instinctively pause before throwing something away. Too
From AI to Autonomous Networks: Mobileum Spark Highlights the Next Frontier of Telecom Intelligence15.10.2026 10:00:00 EEST | Press release
Mobileum Inc. ("Mobileum"), a leading global provider of telecom analytics and network solutions, brought together telecom operators and industry leaders during its Mobileum Spark events series in Lisbon (Portugal) and Frankfurt (Germany), to explore how Artificial Intelligence (AI), Agentic AI and automation are transforming network operations and accelerating the evolution toward autonomous networks. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20261015172815/en/ Telecom operators, industry leaders, and Mobileum experts at Mobileum Spark 2026. Focused on Risk Management & Fraud Prevention and Network Testing & Assurance, the events featured customer-led discussions, expert insights, and real-world use cases demonstrating how AI and advanced automation are helping operators address increasing network complexity, strengthen fraud prevention, improve service assurance, and drive operational efficiency. A central theme across
Merz Therapeutics Announces Completion of Recruitment in Two Phase III Trials Investigating XEOMIN ® (incobotulinumtoxinA) for Migraine Prevention15.10.2026 09:00:00 EEST | Press release
Merz Therapeutics GmbH, a leading player in neurology-focused specialty pharma, today announced the completion of patient recruitment in two global Phase III clinical trials, MINT-E (NCT07018700) and MINT-C (NCT07018713), evaluating the efficacy and safety of XEOMIN® (incobotulinumtoxinA) for the prevention of episodic and chronic migraine in adults. The trials recruited approximately 1800 adults across 109 study sites in North America and Europe. Migraine affects around 1.1 billion people worldwide, posing a significant burden on patients, society and healthcare systems.1 Both trials are evaluating the change in monthly migraine days from baseline to Month 6 as the primary endpoint. Secondary endpoints include changes in monthly headache days, acute medication days and migraine frequency during two-week periods at the end of each injection cycle. “Achieving patient recruitment for both MINT-C and MINT-E six months ahead of plan is an important milestone for our XEOMIN® migraine preven
In our pressroom you can read all our latest releases, find our press contacts, images, documents and other relevant information about us.
Visit our pressroom