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
Egon Zehnder Opens Philadelphia Office to Support Leaders in the Region’s Fast-Growing Economy11.2.2026 19:44:00 EET | Press release
Egon Zehnder, the world’s premier leadership advisory and executive search firm, today announced the opening of its Philadelphia office, marking the firm’s 70th office globally and further expanding its footprint in the United States. The new location strengthens Egon Zehnder’s long-standing commitment to serving clients across the Mid-Atlantic region with an integrated, advisory-led approach to leadership. Located in the FMC Tower, the Philadelphia office will deliver Egon Zehnder’s full suite of leadership advisory services and executive search to the region, including CEO succession, board effectiveness, executive search, leadership assessments, executive development, culture and organizational transformation and team effectiveness. The office will be staffed by consultants who live and work in the community, pairing global insights with local business operating realities to advise clients. Ari Roitman will lead the Philadelphia office, bringing extensive experience across leadershi
Andersen Consulting Expands Platform in North America with Addition of Kezber11.2.2026 16:30:00 EET | Press release
Andersen Consulting strengthens its business transformation and cybersecurity offerings with the addition of Canadian-based collaborating firm Kezber. Founded in 1996, Kezber specializes in providing a full suite of IT solutions including managed IT services, infrastructure support, cybersecurity, cloud services, custom software development, business intelligence and AI services, and business process automation. The firm works with organizations to enhance productivity, modernize their technology environments, and leverage data-driven solutions to achieve strategic objectives. "Our collaboration with Andersen Consulting allows us to bring our full suite of software and IT services into a broader consulting framework," said Alan Kezber, CEO of Kezber. "By integrating our technical expertise with Andersen Consulting’s comprehensive consulting capabilities, we can offer clients solutions that drive operational improvements and support sustainable growth." "Kezber’s deep technology experti
Uniswap Labs and Securitize Collaborate to Unlock Liquidity Options for BlackRock’s BUIDL11.2.2026 16:00:00 EET | Press release
Uniswap Labs, the leader in decentralized finance, and Securitize, the leader in tokenizing real-world assets (RWAs), today announced a strategic integration to make BlackRock USD Institutional Digital Liquidity Fund (BUIDL) shares available to trade via UniswapX technology. This integration will enable onchain trading of BUIDL, both unlocking new liquidity options for BUIDL holders, and marking a significant step in bridging the gap between traditional finance and DeFi. “Our mission at Labs is simple: make exchanging value cheaper, faster and more accessible,” said Hayden Adams, Uniswap Labs Founder and CEO. “Enabling BUIDL on UniswapX with BlackRock and Securitize supercharges our mission by creating efficient markets, better liquidity, and faster settlement. I’m excited to see what we build together.” Securitize Markets will facilitate trading for any BUIDL investor who elects to participate through UniswapX’s RFQ framework. The automated system enables participants to identify the
Energy Vault and Crusoe Announce Strategic Framework Agreement for Deployment of Crusoe Spark Modular AI Factory Units to Deliver Crusoe Cloud11.2.2026 15:30:00 EET | Press release
Energy Vault Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: NRGV) (“Energy Vault”), a global leader in grid-scale energy storage solution infrastructure, and Crusoe, the industry’s first vertically-integrated AI infrastructure provider, today announced a strategic framework agreement for the phased deployment of Crusoe Spark modular data centers at Energy Vault’s technology center in Snyder, Texas. The initial program is scalable up to 25 megawatts (MW) of total load to be operated inside Crusoe’s proprietary Spark modular AI factory product. The companies plan to begin deployments in 2026, enabling Crusoe Cloud to expand available computing capacity, including its new Managed Inference services, to meet customer demand. The initiative represents a significant expansion of Crusoe’s Spark program, a demonstration of rapidly deployable modular AI inference capacity, and a continuation of Crusoe’s commitment to innovative energy-first AI infrastructure development. This press release features multimedia. View the
Corpay Cross-Border Extends Exclusive Partnership with LIV Golf11.2.2026 15:30:00 EET | Press release
Corpay, Inc.* (NYSE: CPAY), a global leader in corporate payments, today announced that its Cross-Border business has entered into a multi-year agreement to extend its successful and exclusive collaboration with LIV Golf, as its Official Corporate Foreign Exchange (FX) Provider. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260211636852/en/ Since 2024, Corpay Cross-Border has delivered a range of corporate foreign exchange payment solutions to LIV Golf. With this multi-year extension, the League will continue to benefit from Corpay’s comprehensive currency risk management solutions and award-winning global payments platform. “Over the past two seasons, we’ve had the privilege of being the Official Corporate FX Provider for LIV Golf,” said Brad Loder, Chief Marketing Officer, Corpay Cross-Border Solutions. “We take great pride in the trust that the League’s Finance and Partnership teams have placed in us, and we are thrilled
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