Australian Defence Force Selects GA-ASI’s MQ-9B for Project Air 7003
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
HP Becomes Sisvel Wi-Fi 6 Pool Licensee, Ending Disputes with Wilus, Huawei and Philips18.11.2025 11:58:00 EET | Press release
HP Inc and Sisvel have concluded an agreement for the Palo Alto-based global technology leader to become a licensee of the Sisvel Wi-Fi 6 patent pool. The deal follows a mediation process ordered by Judge Rodney Gilstrap, of the US District Court for the Eastern District of Texas, as part of patent infringement litigation brought against HP by Wilus Institute of Standards and Technology, a licensor in the pool. The agreement not only ends the Wilus suit, but also actions launched against HP by other Sisvel Wi-Fi 6 pool licensors, Huawei and Philips. HP now has one-stop access to approximately 2,000 patents (245 patent families) recognised to date, through the pool’s process of independent patent evaluations, as essential to the 802.11ax Wi-Fi 6 standard. Close to 40 entities license the patents in the Sisvel Wi-Fi 6 patent pool. In addition to HP Inc, these include other recent additions such as Cisco, Netgear and Acer. “We are grateful to HP for the constructive way in which they enga
Europe's GetVocal raises $26m to scale trustworthy conversational agents for enterprises18.11.2025 11:00:00 EET | Press release
GetVocal, Europe’s leading provider of conversational AI agents for enterprise customer support, today announced the closing of a $26 million Series A investment round led by Creandum with participation from Elaia and Speedinvest, bringing GetVocal’s total fundraising to $30 million. GetVocal will use the funding to fuel product innovation, market expansion, and hiring across Europe as the company accelerates its mission to help enterprises build hybrid human-AI workforces. Founded in 2023 by AI entrepreneurs Roy Moussa and Antonin Bertin, GetVocal is headquartered in Paris, with a 60-strong team spread across Europe. It serves 23 markets, with a stronghold in France and Portugal, and a rapidly growing presence in the UK and DACH. The company tackles one of the biggest barriers to conversational AI adoption – the lack of trust and confidence in black-box autonomous systems – by building trustworthy, transparent, and governed AI agents that accelerate the customer experience (CX) market
Ant Group Unveils China’s First Multimodal AI Assistant with Code-Driven Outputs18.11.2025 10:05:00 EET | Press release
Ant Group today launched LingGuang, a next-generation multimodal AI assistant and the first of its kind in China that interacts with users through code-driven outputs. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20251117438567/en/ Equipped with the capability to understand and produce language, image, voice and data, LingGuang delivers precise, structured responses to complex queries through 3D models, audio clips, charts, animations, interactive maps, and even immediately generated applications, in addition to traditional text-based conversation. Designed around three key features, LingGuang aims to make complex knowledge simpler and more intuitive, transforming how users access information and interact with AI tools. Fast Research: LingGuang responds to user questions or keywords with dynamic, multimodal content, making research on any topic clearer and more engaging. Its 3D digital modeling capability transcends traditio
SkySparc Appoints Oliver Bussmann as Chairman of the Board18.11.2025 10:00:00 EET | Press release
SkySparc, a trusted global provider of digital transformation solutions for treasury and finance organizations, today announced the appointment of Oliver Bussmann as Chairman of the Board, following the closing of a majority growth investment from Bregal Milestone, a leading European software private equity firm. As former Global CIO at UBS and SAP, Bussmann has a proven track record of scaling B2B software and services across the Office of the CFO, Financial Services, RegTech, and WealthTech. Throughout his career, he has guided organizations through complex SaaS transitions, strategic M&A, and go-to-market acceleration – delivering multiple successful exits and sustained enterprise growth. Bussmann will help steer SkySparc’s technology and value-creation agenda, as Chairman, leveraging his network across financial services and technology to accelerate innovation, expand AI adoption, and drive long-term growth. “We are thrilled to welcome Oliver to SkySparc’s leadership team,” said Jo
European Commission Grants Approval of Remsima™ IV Liquid Formulation, World’s First Liquid Formulation of IV Infliximab18.11.2025 09:23:00 EET | Press release
Celltrion, Inc. today announced that the European Commission (EC) has granted marketing authorization for Remsima™ IV (intravenous) liquid formulation, the world’s first liquid formulation of IV infliximab. Approved in 100 mg and 350 mg vials, the formulation is designed to streamline infusion preparation, reduce healthcare professionals’ workload, and support hospital operational efficiency.3 The Remsima™ IV liquid formulation is approved in the EU for all indications of IV infliximab, matching the approved uses of all existing IV infliximab powder formulations, including rheumatoid arthritis (RA), adult and pediatric Crohn’s disease (CD), ulcerative colitis (UC), pediatric UC, ankylosing spondylitis (AS), psoriatic arthritis (PsA), and psoriasis (PsO).1 The comparability between lyophilized powder formulation and the liquid formulation of IV infliximab has been established through comprehensive chemistry, manufacturing, and controls data.2 The stability of the liquid formulation of I
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