Latest news with #LindenBlue
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
General Atomics touts UK breakthrough in drone airspace integration
COLOGNE, Germany — U.S.-based drone maker General Atomics has achieved a key safety certification from British aviation authorities for the Protector drone, which will allow the unmanned aircraft to fly routinely over civilian areas, the company announced this week. The so-called Military Type Certificate means the Royal Air Force's Protector RG Mk1, which also goes by the designation MQ-9B, has passed a rigorous airworthiness assessment, a General Atomics statement reads. In practice, the drones now have the blessing to operate 'without geographic restrictions, including over populous areas,' the company said. The achievement has been a long time coming for the U.S. drone vendor, which has pitched its drones' ability to fly safely in civilian airspace as a key selling point for its business campaign in Europe. Military drones must normally stay within protected corridors when flying over land, especially in densely populated areas found in many parts of Europe. That is because unmanned aircraft were traditionally designed with military objectives in mind, giving little consideration to fail-safe propulsion or collision avoidance in mid-air, for example. 'This April 29 decision was a first-of-its-kind milestone for a large, unmanned aircraft system,' General Atomics said in the statement, referring to the date the UK Military Aviation Authority passed its judgment. 'It's a huge accomplishment for the UK and a technological watershed in the history of unmanned aircraft systems.' At the heart of the certification lies a NATO standard, dubbed STANAG 4671. The idea is that drone airworthiness achieved to these specifications is transferable across alliance members. Linden Blue, the CEO of General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, said the company had spent $500 million over 11 years to have the the MQ-9B certified to the NATO safety standard. Besides the British Royal Air Force, the company said it has MQ-9B orders from Belgium, Canada, Poland, Japan Coast Guard, Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force, Taiwan and India.
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
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. # # #
