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Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
General Atomics' Master Software ‘Brain' That Will Operate Its Drone Fighters
Controlling swarms of drones in high-end combat, soaking up and parsing gobs of surveillance data, unleashing advanced weaponry, and constantly evolving onboard systems to meet the rigours of contested environments all via one integrated software suite is becoming an achievable goal. Incorporating machine learning and artificial intelligence to augment human involvement and oversight is key to making this happen. The War Zone spoke with a subject matter expert from General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI) to get an inside look at what the company is doing to usher in this potentially transformational facet of modern combat air operations. Quadratix is General Atomics' answer to integrating various software systems and development teams from across the company into a more cohesive enterprise and for controlling unmanned systems on complex missions. It's borne from over three decades of corporate mission experience with its uncrewed aircraft, such as the MQ-9, and supporting many different types of operations around the globe. General Atomics likens Quadratix to Adobe's Creative Cloud or Microsoft 365 in that it groups together products and capabilities that enable operators to undertake many different tasks in a single software environment. For example, Quadratix includes the company's command and control (C2) and tactical situational awareness software known as TacSit-C2, which does its work by concurrently viewing sensor data to cross-cue airborne payloads. TacSit-C2 alone integrates multiple intelligence signal processing (Multi-INT) C2 into a single application that fuses radar, electronic intelligence (ELINT), communications intelligence (COMINT), as well as electro-optical/infrared (EO/IR) data, all with the aim of significantly reducing manpower inputs. TacSit-C2 also features GA-ASI's Multi-Mission Controller (MMC), which enables one user to control multiple unmanned vehicles at the same time, even if they are different types. Leveraging this capability, a single controller might be responsible for a flight of multiple unmanned aircraft, of two distinct types, all searching overlapping areas for objects or events of interest. That user might tell the system to search for a green car and issue an alert when it detects a green car. The software therefore expedites the processing, exploitation, and dissemination of intelligence by automatically sending updates and data to relevant workgroups. Quadratix is also designed to act as the brains of the new class of semi-autonomous Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA), including General Atomics' YFQ-42A. These aircraft will require a significant level of onboard autonomy to complete their complex missions in coordination with crewed platforms or independently, if needed. Traditionally, unmanned aircraft have relied on a datalink back to a crew at a remote ground control station (GCS) for flight control, sensor manipulation, and data dissemination. Operating at extremely long ranges from the operator and possibly in dense electronic warfare combat environments means that these links may not always be assured. The autonomy enabled within Quadratix ensures that the uncrewed aircraft will be able to carry out their missions even when isolated from the human operator. The War Zone spoke to Darren Moe, GA-ASI senior director for Automation, Autonomy and Artificial Intelligence, about how Quadratix has developed and how it actually works. TWZ: Can you explain the genesis of Quadratix and how it has evolved from the company's experience in the uncrewed aircraft world? Moe: We've been in the technology business all along, but what people mostly saw were our aircraft and not the supporting systems that made them work. Yet that's always been a major part of our effort to support the U.S. and allied nations. When you spend more than 30 years inventing, trialing, operating, evaluating and repeating – as we have done with unmanned systems – you build up a great wealth of insights, not only about the aircraft hardware but also about the enabling systems. There's also a big aspect to our work that takes place downstream of the aircraft. What we're doing is flying around for a really long time, soaking up huge quantities of data and intelligence, and then we and the user need to be able to exploit it. So again, although what everyone knows is that an unmanned aircraft took off and flew a mission and then came home, don't forget that there are military and intelligence and other users that are then getting insights out of the mission data the same day, or later in the week, or months or more – and that processing, exploitation, and dissemination can be as critical as the actual flying missions. One thing that's difficult to understand at first but important in all this is that these aircraft collect much more data than any human could process. Imagine flying in an airplane for 24 hours or more – just think about all that you could see with your eyes – and these aircraft are taking in much more than just information in the visual spectrum. So processing and distilling are critical to getting just the information that matters to the operators and others depending on this. TWZ: Can you detail the major individual capability areas that have been fused together in Quadratix and how you have been able to combine them to create this software? For example, how does TacSit-C2 fit into it? Moe: Think of it in terms of maximizing operations, sensing, sense-making, and processing, exploitation, and dissemination. Classically, a large unmanned aircraft was flown live via a remote link by a human crew at a ground control station somewhere. So you'd taken the crew out of danger but you still had a crew of several people focused on operating the system live. The first task for the software suite is to reduce the number of people needed and the effort required by those still engaged. One way we do that is by automating a great deal of the mission events. So instead of needing a pilot and a sensor operator looking down, fully focused, thinking 'where is the vehicle we're supposed to be looking for,' we have the system look for it as it's flying the surveillance mission. You don't need a set of eyeballs glued to a screen – where if they happen to miss it, the mission may not succeed. Instead, the aircraft and the supporting software fly a route, look down, and when they see a vehicle that might be the one, the system pings you to say, 'hey, here's a truck that matched your description; is this the one?' That's what applications like TacSit-C2 do, or they let one human operator supervise multiple flights all at the same time. Say you want to operate a group of aircraft over a big area to have excellent ISR coverage. You don't need the same number of human crews in individual GCSs all with their hands on a throttle and stick and so forth. You could have one person with a display looking at those aircraft all doing overlapping loops so they, collectively, can see what's below. One of the aircraft might pulse you and say, 'I just spotted a vehicle that looks like what we're supposed to be looking for; here it is.' And the operator can click to see its video feed and think, 'yeah, that's the truck we want.' Maybe that's all you need to do, or maybe the operator does decide to put his or her hands on the controls and take the aircraft off its automated orbit and get closer or do something else. I could go on and on, but the other aspect to Quadratix is that it's not just about the mission. It's about the supervisors and the intelligence officers and supported units and others that need to know about what the mission uncovers — and if that aircraft's discovery of that truck is a triggering event for something else. Let's say we have another operation that's contingent on the discovery of that vehicle. Quadratix can push that insight downstream to customers automatically. My operator doesn't need to scribble it down and have somebody pick up a phone and call somebody. For those inside the enterprise that need to know when things happen, live, it's just like getting a push notification on your phone that your team just scored. TWZ: Does Quadratix offer a menu of options which you can pick and choose from for the most appropriate application for your mission? I'm thinking of the Adobe Creative Cloud analogy here where I might select Photoshop for image manipulation, and Premiere to edit video. Moe: You've hit the nail on the head. Not every mission will require every application and not every user will touch every application. In your metaphor, the creatives that are working in Premiere might be on a different team from the ones that are using InDesign because you have a video production workflow that belongs to the same department as the graphic designers but isn't exactly the same and doesn't have the same individual users. TWZ: Quadratix enables one user to take control of multiple different kinds of unmanned aircraft. How is this achieved? Is it via a ground control terminal or a laptop, for example? Moe: We've been incorporating high degrees of automation into our systems for many years. Our newest types of aircraft can take off and land automatically or over satellite, as mission needs require. Another reason to add this capability was to enable the multi-aircraft control you've mentioned. Much of the time when medium-altitude, long-endurance aircraft go on patrol they are making very long transits to areas of interest or they are spending a lot of time over areas in which perhaps not very much is going on – empty desert, for example, or open ocean. This is part of the value of using unmanned systems. So it's natural to reduce the number of human personnel as much as practical while also maximizing what these aircraft and supporting systems can do, and this can all be done from an office desk or an expeditionary laptop. TWZ: Can different roles be achieved by one operator – i.e., could Quadratix control an MQ-9 gathering data and a CCA prosecuting the target that's being sensed by the MQ-9? Moe: Broadly, yes, but it's important to make two critical points here. First, the MQ-9 capabilities and mission are very different from CCA and so although they're all encompassed within Quadratix, it's helpful to go back to your Creative Cloud example: the users doing MQ-9 ISR and the users doing air superiority with CCA likely wouldn't be the same people or necessarily organized together in the same squadron. Second, CCA always would prosecute a target under human supervision, or under conditions in which an air force pilot or other combat aircrew were directly involved. But Quadratix is ingesting the data from both platforms and correlating with other data sources so that disparate squadrons and other stakeholders have a common targeting display and shared situational awareness. TWZ: Quadratix uses machine learning and AI to control CCAs. Can you explain why this kind of software is critical for CCA in particular and how machine learning and AI are such important factors? Is this about operations in degraded communications where a CCA would need to be semi-autonomous and operating at the edge? Moe: In this context, what machine learning enables is for software running on an aircraft to take in as much as possible about real-world conditions and then, when it's confronted with those or similar conditions again, act in the way you want. We say to the aircraft, 'what you did was right, do that again;' or 'what you did was wrong, don't do that next time.' This is important for a number of reasons. One is – and you alluded to this in your question – let's go back to the classical ways that people operated unmanned systems: a crew is sitting in a GCS somewhere connected via satellite, live, to a real aircraft booming around in the air someplace. But if that aircraft has to stand in against an adversary that can degrade the satellite connection, you're in trouble. Making YFQ-42 semi-autonomous takes that particular play for an adversary off the table. Now it can press in, see what it sees, warn other aircraft and, if necessary, take action ahead of the friendly fighters and let those human pilots stay back out of harm's way for the initial action if that's what happens. TWZ: Could you give us a combat scenario and explain how Quadratix would be used? Perhaps a complex Pacific scenario that includes CCAs. Moe: It's possible to imagine a situation in which large numbers of aircraft, communications networks and Quadratix combined in order to defeat a revanchist adversary in a big, mostly air and maritime environment. You could fly large numbers of MQ-9B SeaGuardians from allied bases in the region and get them into a consistent battle rhythm watching key waterways or other areas of interest. This is one of the great things about unmanned aircraft – when you have sufficient numbers of them, you can patrol nonstop. Even with the exceptional endurance of an MQ-9B, it will eventually run low on fuel and when it does, another one can take its place and so on. This makes it very difficult for an adversary to move around in the air or on the surface without you seeing exactly what they're doing. MQ-9B also has an anti-submarine warfare capability so that even brings undersea contacts within reach as well. Quadratix lets human crews quarterback it from anywhere. They don't need to be in the area of operations necessarily, but they can be extremely relevant. These aircraft, these systems and these crews can be the first ones that see changes in conditions or new patterns of activity that suggest something untoward might be happening, and that really reduces an adversary's ability to use the element of surprise. We call it deterrence by detection. For this example, let's imagine an adversary has made the decision to act. Its vessels and ships might take certain actions, and American and allied commanders then, in turn, might make the decision to respond with actions of their own. You can imagine that FQ-42A would be in the initial waves of aircraft that would launch alongside human-crewed fighters, ISR, tankers, and others. And you can also imagine that events might hit a crisis phase but short of full-on hostilities, and the responsible powers, the U.S. and its allies, say to a notional adversary, 'Hey, we really discourage you from committing your forces east of a certain point. If you do, that will be taken unfavorably.' FQ-42A could fly that barrier combat air patrol, right on the line, and the U.S. and allied air component commanders could know exactly when an adversary stepped across and also have the first aircraft at risk be these CCAs. Quadratix is what enables the FQ-42A to sense what aircraft are over there, where they're moving, whether they're armed and so on. What we'd hope is that the presence of these and other assets prompts the fictional adversary in this scenario to decide not to become an aggressor. That's what we're trying to do here – we want them to look at us and say 'I don't know if I can succeed today and I doubt it so much I'm not going to try.' But clearly part of this has to contemplate the idea that they might commit. If they shoot, an FQ-42A might shoot back. In so doing, the adversary is probably going to energize their radar and maneuver and potentially do other things that let other FQ-42As or other allied aircraft in the area see what is happening and respond appropriately. Quadratix, sharing data and sensing and so forth, will be what helps enable a lot of that capability in the future. We don't want FQ-42A to have to engage with any enemy aircraft in the first place, but it can and will if it must. We certainly don't want it to be shot down, but as you appreciate, we'd all much rather that it be what takes these hits and lets the human pilots come back, because we can build many more FQ-42As to go back and take up the patrol or do the other missions, but we can't pump new conventional fighter aircraft or most importantly, new pilots, out of a factory. Contact the author:
Miami Herald
08-05-2025
- Business
- Miami Herald
UK Certifies Protector As First of Its Kind Remotely Piloted Aircraft
SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA / ACCESS Newswire / May 8, 2025 / The UK's Military Aviation Authority has issued a Military Type Certificate to the Royal Air Force's Protector RG Mk1 uncrewed aircraft, also designated the MQ-9B, certifying that it has passed a rigorous airworthiness assessment and verifying it's safe to operate without geographic restrictions, including over populous areas. This April 29 decision was a first-of-its-kind milestone for a large, unmanned aircraft system. It's a huge accomplishment for the UK and a technological watershed in the history of unmanned aircraft systems. GA-ASI is the first manufacturer of large, unmanned aircraft to receive an MTC based on rigorous compliance with STANAG 4671, the NATO standard for unmanned aircraft system airworthiness. Obtaining the MTC has been a goal of GA-ASI since the inception of the MQ-9B in January 2014. The company took its proven UAS platform, the MQ-9A, and added performance enhancing features while ensuring that the design was capable of meeting NATO's STANAG 4671 Edition 2 airworthiness requirements. To meet those rigorous requirements, the aircraft incorporates numerous enhancements not found on other large UAS. These include lightning protection, fire protection, anti-icing systems and a fatigue-and-damage-tolerant building block design approach. All flight critical software was designed in compliance with the rigor of Do-178/254. Mission software is rigidly separated from flight critical software. These features not only address the aircraft's airworthiness but also enhance its reliability and operational flexibility to levels unmatched by other UAS. "Earning an MTC for MQ-9B was a herculean effort and a seminal achievement for our company," said GA-ASI CEO Linden Blue. "We invested over $500 million as part of an 11-year effort to develop an unmanned aircraft that meets NATO's rigorous airworthiness standards. This included three flight test aircraft, full component and system-level environmental testing to Do-160 and Mil-Standards (system level environmental testing at Elgin and Pax River), full scale static test airframe test to ultimate ground and flight loads, bird strike, hail protection and full-scale fatigue testing to three lifetimes (3x 40,000 notional aircraft flight hours = 120,000 hours total). Our engineers developed over 140,000 pages of detailed technical data verifying that the MQ-9B met those demanding requirements. I congratulate our team for this outstanding accomplishment, and I know our customers need this type certification, which will open civil airspace for their flight operations." The Royal Air Force continues to take delivery of new Protector aircraft at their home in the North of England at RAF Waddington. The UK has 10 aircraft of the 16 it has ordered. "Achieving the award of a first in class Military Type Certificate has required years of dedication and perseverance and is a testament to the hard work of all involved. It is a privilege to be the first to be awarded an MTC for the Protector Air System," said Gp. Capt. Neil Venables, Type Airworthiness Authority and holder of the Protector Type Certificate. MQ-9B is the world's most advanced medium altitude, long endurance UAS. MQ-9B includes the SkyGuardian® and SeaGuardian® models as well as the Protector operated by the RAF. In addition to the UK, GA-ASI has MQ-9B orders from Belgium, Canada, Poland, Japan Coast Guard, Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force, Taiwan, India, and the U.S. Air Force in support of the Special Operations Command. MQ-9B has also supported various U.S. Navy exercises, including Northern Edge, Integrated Battle Problem, RIMPAC, and Group Sail. About GA-ASI General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc., is the world's foremost builder of Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS). Logging more than 8 million flight hours, the Predator® line of UAS has flown for over 30 years and includes MQ-9A Reaper®, MQ-1C Gray Eagle® 25M, MQ-20 Avenger®, and MQ-9B SkyGuardian®/SeaGuardian®. The company is dedicated to providing long-endurance, multi-mission solutions that deliver persistent situational awareness and rapid strike. For more information, visit Avenger, EagleEye, Gray Eagle, Lynx, Predator, Reaper, SeaGuardian, and SkyGuardian are trademarks of General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc., registered in the United States and/or other countries. # # # Contact Information GA-ASI Media Relations asi-mediarelations@ 524-8101 SOURCE: General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. press release
Yahoo
18-04-2025
- Yahoo
MQ-1C Gray Eagle Is Shooting Down Drones With Hellfire Missiles In Tests
The MQ-1C Gray Eagle uncrewed aerial system (UAS) has used the AGM-114L Longbow Hellfire missile, in conjunction with its onboard radar, to shoot down a drone in live-fire tests, General Atomics Aeronautical Systems (GA-ASI) has confirmed to TWZ. While there is currently a major drive in the development of different counter-UAS (C-UAS) systems involving kinetic and non-kinetic solutions, using the Gray Eagle to bring down drones using Hellfire missiles is a new and intriguing development. GA-ASI has 'demonstrated live-fire takedown using Longbow Hellfire from Gray Eagle to eliminate a small UAS,' C. Mark Brinkley, a company spokesman, told TWZ. Arming the adaptable Gray Eagle with Hellfire missiles is not the only counter-UAS option that GA-ASI is currently pursuing with this platform. 'Additionally, our company-funded, live-fire demo of podded miniguns from Gray Eagle STOL (Short Takeoff and Landing) conducted last year offers another interesting and affordable kinetic option for counter-UAS operations,' Brinkley added. 'These flying trash cans simply aren't built to withstand incoming 7.62mm rounds, and the miniguns could offer other armed overwatch options not previously explored.' This is a reference to the Dillon Aero DAP-6 Minigun pods, a weapon system that has been live-fire tested from the GA-ASI Mojave demonstrator drone at the U.S. Army's Yuma Proving Ground. The Mojave demonstrator has now led to the Gray Eagle STOL version of MQ-1C, which has a configuration tailored for operations from remote or austere locations with rough strips and limited logistical support, with an emphasis on supporting various kinds of expeditionary and distributed operations. More recently, General Atomics has touted the Gray Eagle STOL's capabilities in experiments on aircraft carriers and big-deck amphibious assault ships. General Atomics' Brinkley said the company plans to unveil a new kinetic option for Gray Eagle STOL 'in the next few months that would further lower the price tag for C-UAS response, while also increasing accuracy and flexibility.' It's unclear if this is a reference to the aforementioned Longbow Hellfire, although the reference to reduced costs would seem to point to another, cheaper option, perhaps a laser-guided rocket. As well as kinetic and non-kinetic means of bringing down hostile drones, GA-ASI has also adapted onboard sensors to allow its drones to detect, track, and then engage the UAS in the first place. 'We have conducted numerous flight tests using our Lynx and EagleEye radar systems for target acquisition and tracking of small UAS,' Brinkley confirmed. The EagleEye synthetic aperture radar can detect and track ground targets out to 50 miles and maritime targets out to 124 miles, although its capability against aerial threats is not presently known. However, with a new active electronically scanned array (AESA) antenna and associated software for EagleEye being developed, this will further increase its range and add to its multi-mode performance. These flight tests are especially significant in that they have utilized the proprietary GA-ASI radars in an air-to-air mode to provide detection, including in the critical look-down mode, and onboard weapons cueing. Meanwhile, GA-ASI is also continuing to work on a drone-mounted podded laser for C-UAS missions. The podded laser, which the company says is now in development as a concept, was shown mounted on an MQ-9B SkyGuardian drone in a graphic at the Air Force Association's 2025 Warfare Symposium in Aurora, Colorado, last month, and again this month at the Sea-Air-Space Conference in National Harbor, Maryland. GA-ASI appears to be primarily pitching this pod for fleet defense against one-way attack drones. General Atomics Unveils Laser Combat Module for MQ-9B Drone:: #LaserWeapon #DroneDefense #GeneralAtomics #HELWS #MilitaryTech #DirectedEnergy #RedSea #UkraineConflict #AirDefense #DefenseTechnology #Drones #Tryzub #CruiseMissileDefense — DefenseMirror (@DefenseMirror) April 14, 2025 Brinkley says the company already has 'a very mature laser technology' for this application. However, it should be noted that, in general, airborne lasers have been much harder to realize than originally envisioned, with many programs related to them cancelled on technical grounds, as you can read about here. At this point, however, the standout item is the live-fire trials of Longbow Hellfire aboard a Gray Eagle drone for the C-UAS mission. Bearing in mind the fast-growing trend for harnessing new ways of neutralizing the drone threat, combining the Gray Eagle and Lockheed Martin's AGM-114L Longbow Hellfire for this application makes a lot of sense. At the same time, there is already a precedent for using Longbow Hellfire, which is millimeter-wave radar-guided instead of laser-guided like other Hellfire variants, to shoot down drones. While the AGM-114 Hellfire was developed as an air-to-ground weapon and has been mainly used as such, the Longbow variant does have an air defense role against drones. Notably, Israel has been using the AH-64 Apache in attack helicopters in an air defense capacity for years, including one well-known shootdown of a Hezbollah drone close to the Syrian border. An AH-64 'Apache' Attack Helicopter with the Israeli Air Force conducting a Successful Interception of an inbound Hezbollah Attack Drone, this morning over Northern Israel. — OSINTdefender (@sentdefender) August 25, 2024 In October last year, the U.S. Army published a video showing its AH-64D Longbow Apache helicopters practicing detecting and destroying enemy aerial drones while forward deployed to the Middle East, a region where the drone threat — especially from one-way attack munitions or 'kamikaze drones' — has exploded in recent months. . @USArmy Soldiers engage an unmanned aerial system (UAS) from an AH-64 with upgraded Hellfire missile during Red Sands training exercise in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. @usarmycentral — U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) September 30, 2024 The Army video appears to show a variant or modification of the Longbow Hellfire, with initial cuing for its millimeter-wave radar seeker provided by the Apache's AN/APG-78 Longbow mast-mounted radar system. The same radar can detect and track aerial targets, such as lower-flying helicopters, and also aerial drones. The Longbow Hellfire also has a demonstrated capability to engage aerial threats when launched from other platforms, including ones on the ground. More recently, the U.S. Navy carried out a crash program to enable its Freedom class Littoral Combat Ships (LCS) armed with AGM-114Ls to employ them against drones. The LCSs originally received the radar-guided Hellfires to help defend against swarms of small boats. While the U.S. military still has significant stocks of AGM-114Ls in inventory, the missile is out of production. Lockheed Martin's new AGM-179A Joint Air-to-Ground Missile (JAGM), which has a dual-mode laser and millimeter-wave radar guidance package, is now entering U.S. service as a successor to other Hellfire variants. It could also supplant the Longbow version, including in the air-to-air role. At this point, it should be recalled that the U.S. Air Force has successfully integrated the AIM-9X Sidewinder heat-seeking air-to-air missile onto its MQ-9 Reaper drone, this combination scoring its first ever air-to-air kill in an exercise in 2017. Not long after that, the service announced that it was looking to give at least some of these unmanned aircraft the ability to take on aerial threats, providing them with a significant self-protection capability that could also be complementary to the drone-hunting developments for the MQ-1C. While it's not clear how the UAS target was detected and tracked in the Gray Eagle C-UAS live-fire experiment, specifically, it may be that one of the aforementioned Lynx or EagleEye radar systems, produced by GA-ASI, was used. In another scenario, the radar could be used for the detection of a drone threat, with the Multi-Spectral Targeting System (MTS) then used for identification and laser designation, should laser weapons be used on the Gray Eagle in the future. However, the engagement played out, the potential of a drone-killing combination of Gray Eagle and Longbow Hellfire is compelling. For the most part, C-UAS systems are ground-based, meaning their flexibility and responsiveness are necessarily limited. In contrast, a drone like the Gray Eagle can be redirected to provide a counter-drone capability wherever it might be most needed. The drones can also be forward-based, operating very close to ground forces. They can then be launched fairly rapidly in response to incoming threats. This is especially the case for the Gray Eagle STOL version. The short-field capabilities found in the Gray Eagle STOL were ported over from the Mojave demonstrator, the stated performance of which includes a takeoff run of 400 feet for intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) missions, or 1,000 feet when armed with 12 Hellfire missiles. Furthermore, a Gray Eagle drone carrying Hellfire missiles — or a combination of these and other weapons — would not be a single-role platform, as many more traditional C-UAS systems are. As well as intercepting drones, the Gray Eagle could offer armed escort for ground forces and provide overwatch with its sensors. Highly significant is also the endurance of these drones, which are able to stay on station for 24 hours or more. This persistence is ideal for providing surveillance in a C-UAS scenario, as well as screening for drones transiting a given area, creating something like a combat air patrol (CAP). While fighter aircraft have increasingly taken on a drone intercept role with great success, they are very costly and can only stay on station for short periods of time without refueling support. On the other hand, they can run-down drones in scenarios where a Gray Eagle could not. Still, for lower volume threats and for point defense applications over or near a specific target area, the MQ-1C could be extremely valuable. The Longbow Hellfire does remain a higher-end solution for dealing with lower-end drones. As we have discussed in the past, it costs around $215,000 to buy a single, basic AGM-114, with the radar-guided Longbow models costing even more. Still, this is far cheaper than common air-to-air missiles, which have at lease double the cost. In the case of the workhorse AIM-120 Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile (AMRAAM), the unit price is around $1 million a round. This is all very likely driving interest in an even cheaper kinetic C-UAS option for Gray Eagle. The Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System II (APKWS II) laser-guided rocket, for example, is far less costly than a Hellfire, coming in at around $25,000-30,0000 per round. A rocket-based weapon like APKWS II would also provide the Gray Eagle with a much larger magazine of effectors, although only one drone could be engaged at a time due to the type's laser guidance. Still, getting into a position to employ APKWS II would be more of a challenge for MQ-1C than a fighter aircraft, especially rapidly against multiple targets. F-16s have been effective at employing APKWS II against drones over the Red Sea. A new APKWS II model that offers pseudo-fire-and-forget capability with the help of an additional infrared seeker is in the works, which will simplify engagements and reduce the time it takes to prosecute them. Potentially even more important for overcoming these cost and magazine depth issues are laser weapons, like the aforementioned podded design that General Atomics is working on now, provided this challenging technology can be mastered. While there are still many questions around GA-ASI's Gray Eagle/Longbow Hellfire C-UAS trials, they underscore how drones themselves are increasingly being seen as an effective counter to the UAS threat, especially at the lower end of the scale. Contact the author: thomas@
Associated Press
08-04-2025
- Business
- Associated Press
GA-ASI Inks Collaboration Deal With South Korea's Hanwha
The Companies Will Pursue Global UAS Programs SAN DIEGO, CA / ACCESS Newswire / April 8, 2025 / General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI) and South Korea's Hanwha Aerospace have agreed to collaborate on the development and production of Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) for the global defense market. The joint effort follows the successful completion of a major flight demonstration in 2024 when the two companies launched a GA-ASI MQ-1C Gray Eagle® STOL (GE STOL) UAS from the South Korean Navy's amphibious landing ship ROKS Dokdo (LPH-6111) as it was underway at sea off the coast of Pohang, South and Hanwha Aerospace collaborated on a historic ship to land flight demonstration using Gray Eagle STOL on Nov. 12, 2024. The demonstration illustrated the ability of the GE STOL to safely operate on many types of aircraft-capable ships, which opens myriad new ways for the U.S. and its allies to use this UAS to support multi-domain operations. It also paved the way for GA-ASI and Hanwha to sign this new agreement to jointly invest in and pursue new UAS business opportunities. 'We're excited to extend and deepen our business relationship with Hanwha,' said GA-ASI CEO Linden Blue, who supervised the November 12, 2024, at-sea demonstration. 'Our test flight with Gray Eagle STOL was well-received by the Republic of Korea Navy, and we know Hanwha is ready to invest to grow a UAS business with GA-ASI both in Korea and the U.S.' Gray Eagle STOL-which stands for short takeoff and landing-is the only medium-altitude, long-endurance aircraft of its kind with the ability to operate without a catapult or arresting gear from fight deck-equipped warships such as amphibious ships and aircraft carriers. It additionally enables true runway independence by operating from unimproved fields and roads, beaches, parking lots, etc. Hanwha Aerospace plans to invest more than 300 billion KRW (US $203.5M) in the development and production facilities for GE STOL and UAS engines, expand research and development activities, and provide production infrastructure in both South Korea and with GA-ASI in the U.S. This is in addition to GA-ASI's past and ongoing investment in UAS STOL development. Hanwha also plans to create jobs by securing talent in related fields and to foster the domestic (Korean) UAS industry ecosystem by discovering domestic parts and material partner companies. GA-ASI expects the endeavor to create nearly 10,000 jobs based upon the expected sales and support over the next 10 years, and at least 500 jobs in the U.S. 'Hanwha Aerospace views unmanned systems as a strategic pillar for the future of defense. Through our collaboration with GA-ASI, we aim to strengthen sovereign defense capabilities, expand Korea's presence in the global UAS market, and contribute to a more robust ROK-U.S. alliance, said Dong Kwan Kim, Vice Chairman of Hanwha Group. Previously known as Mojave, Gray Eagle STOL leverages extensive commonality with the well-proven, in-production Gray Eagle 25M airframe to offer a highly capable new aircraft at greatly reduced cost and technical risk compared to a clean-sheet design. Gray Eagle STOL has recorded a number of first-of-their-kind aviation milestones, including the flight from the Dokdo, launch and recovery aboard the British aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales (09), live-fire testing at Yuma Proving Ground, Ariz., and several others. Gray Eagle STOL offers international militaries a unique platform: a full-featured medium-altitude, long-endurance UAS with a significant battlefield payload that can take off in short distances from ships, unimproved surfaces, or other highly combat-relevant locations. About Hanwha Aerospace Hanwha is South Korea's seventh-largest business group, with innovative businesses in the areas of aerospace & mechatronics, clean energy and ocean solutions, finance, and retail and services. Hanwha Aerospace is a world leader that specializes in the design, development, assembling, and maintaining aircraft gas turbines and engine parts, aircraft components, as well as space systems, guided missile systems, and land and naval weapon systems to include providing highly specialized and dedicated organizational and depot maintenance support across these products. About GA-ASI General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. is the world's foremost builder of Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS). Logging more than 8 million flight hours, the Predator® line of UAS has flown for over 30 years and includes MQ-9A Reaper®, MQ-1C Gray Eagle® 25M, MQ-20 Avenger®, XQ-67A, YFQ-42A, and MQ-9B SkyGuardian®/SeaGuardian®. The company is dedicated to providing long-endurance, multi-mission solutions that deliver persistent situational awareness and rapid strike. # # #
Miami Herald
07-04-2025
- Business
- Miami Herald
GA-ASI Expands Targeting Capability for MQ-9B SeaGuardian(R)
New Software Will Provide In-Flight Target Updates SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA / ACCESS Newswire / April 7, 2025 / General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI) has demonstrated software that will provide in-flight target updates that will enable the MQ-9B SeaGuardian® Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) to close gaps on maritime targets. In a recent ground test, GA-ASI demonstrated the ability to send sensor data to the missile via Link 16 messaging. The software, part of General Atomics' Quadratix software enterprise, was validated in a Systems Integration Lab and is gearing up for a live-fire demonstration later this year. "We continue to build on the innovative capabilities of SeaGuardian for the U.S. Navy," said GA-ASI President David R. Alexander. "The targeting we've demonstrated will be especially valuable in contested environments, enabling an unmanned asset like SeaGuardian to be used for higher-risk missions instead of putting manned assets at risk." Being able to fire and use SeaGuardian for targeting will significantly enhance the aircraft's mission set. GA-ASI first showcased its targeting capability for SeaGuardian during the U.S. Navy's Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) 2024. SeaGuardian is a maritime derivative of GA-ASI's MQ-9B SkyGuardian® and remains the first UAS to offer multi-domain Intelligence, Surveillance, Reconnaissance, and Targeting (ISR&T) as an internal payload that can search the ocean's surface and its depths in support of Fleet Operations. With strong demand already in place, GA-ASI anticipates increasing interest in the MQ-9B SeaGuardian because it delivers high-end maritime capabilities at a significantly lower cost than traditional manned maritime platforms. About GA-ASI General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. is the world's foremost builder of Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS). Logging more than 8 million flight hours, the Predator® line of UAS has flown for over 30 years and includes MQ-9A Reaper®, MQ-1C Gray Eagle® 25M, MQ-20 Avenger®, XQ-67A, YFQ-42A, and MQ-9B SkyGuardian®/SeaGuardian®. The company is dedicated to providing long-endurance, multi-mission solutions that deliver persistent situational awareness and rapid strike. Contact Information GA-ASI Media Relations asi-mediarelations@ 524-8101 SOURCE: General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. press release
