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2020-09-01

GA-ASI to Offer SkyGuardian to ADF

General Atomics Aeronautical Systems (GAASI), the world’s leading manufacturer one of Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS), has announced that its industry team, will develop and deliver MQ-9B SkyGuardian RPAS for Australia.

GA-ASI announced its intention to offer a Medium-altitude, Long-endurance (MALE) RPAS to the Australian Defence Force (ADF) during AVALON 2017 with the launch of Team Reaper Australia. Under Project Air 7003, GA-ASI was selected to provide MQ-9B SkyGuardian for the Armed RPAS capability for the ADF.

Now known as Team SkyGuardian Australia, this group of robust Australian industry partners consists of 10 world-class Australian companies providing a range of innovative sensor, communication, manufacturing and life-cycle support capabilities. The 10 TSGA members – Cobham (TSGA lead industry partner), CAE, Raytheon Australia, Flight Data Systems, TAE Aerospace, Quickstep, Airspeed, Collins Aerospace, Ultra, and Sentient Vision Systems – are well positioned to provide a cohesive approach for meaningful and sustainable Australian industry content.

The change to the “Team SkyGuardian Australia” name was made in consultation with the ADF to better reflect the RPAS capability that will be delivered.

“GA-ASI is working closely with the ADF and our TSGA partners to deliver a robust Armed RPAS capability to Australia that meets the operational and industry capability requirements,” said Linden Blue, CEO, GA-ASI.

MQ-9B is GA-ASI’s most advanced RPAS. In addition to Australia, the UK Royal Air Force recently announced its MQ-9B production contract through UK Ministry of Defence and the Government of Belgium has approved Belgian Defense’s acquisition of MQ-9B. There has been significant interest from customers throughout the world.

The MQ-9B SkyGuardian will provide much-needed protection and support to Australian Land Forces, while having considerable potential to expand support into Multi-Domain Operations through GA-ASI’s development of advanced capabilities, including Anti-Submarine Warfare, Electronic Warfare, self-protection and Detect and Avoid systems, along with a range of advanced networking solutions.

Medium-Altitude Long-Endurance (MALE) RPAS have been in greater demand due to a range of factors including geo-political influences.

The requirement for intelligence – from high-definition, full-motion electro-optical video, mapping radar, signals intelligence, electronic support measures or maritime surveillance sensors – has never been higher and continues to grow. Concurrently, the requirement to network that data and intelligence between platforms and the terrestrial operations has also intensified.

Providing Persistent ISR at Lower Cost

With its long endurance, SkyGuardian provides persistent Intelligence, Surveillance, Reconnaissance (ISR) at a significantly lower cost than is possible with manned aircraft where endurance is typically limited by the onboard crew. Alternatively, the RPAS can use its endurance to reach areas that are far from base, at a fraction of the cost of dispatching a manned aircraft.

SkyGuardian can carry a wide variety of sensor payloads providing highly detailed intelligence from a significant standoff range. Through its ability to carry a large weapon load and advanced automated control systems, SkyGuardian can launch attacks against detected threats, greatly reducing the kill-chain between detection and an armed response. Additionally, it can prosecute a mission over a lengthy period of time without needing to return to base for refueling or crew changes.

SkyGuardian leverages the Predator family legacy of 4,000,000 flight hours, 90 per cent of which have been flown in combat. The Predator series is currently being flown in theatre by the U.S. Air Force, France, Italy, and the United Kingdom.

SkyGuardian’s Cutting-edge Technology

GA-ASI has been at the forefront of RPAS airworthiness and certification issues for more than a decade. Large-scale investment has been made by the company in this sector, and a number of key technologies have been developed.

The sophisticated mission planning and accurate navigation systems of SkyGuardian and its Ground Control Station (GCS) are on the cutting edge of these technology needs and a natural fit with advances in airspace management.

Enhanced Safety Features

Much of SkyGuardian’s design is driven by the requirements of airworthiness regulations. Compared with the ‘legacy’ aircraft, SkyGuardian uses approved conforming airworthiness materials, similar to those employed in airliner construction. Overall maintainability is improved, and airframe design life is extended from 20,000 to 40,000 flight hours. Enhanced safety features include better protection against lightning strikes and an improved anti-icing system.

SkyGuardian has an Automatic Take-Off and Landing system, with the option of a back-up conventional manual flight system that may be required by some customers.

Unmatched Persistence, Versatility and Cost-effectiveness

In developing SkyGuardian, GA-ASI also has improved the performance and capabilities of the baseline air vehicle. Longer span wings fitted with winglets allow nearly 1360 kg of additional fuel to be carried internally. Endurance in an ISR unarmed configuration rises from 27 to more than 40 hours. This increase allows the aircraft to be used in a greater number of roles and to operate in difficult-to-reach regions.

SkyGuardian offers unmatched persistence, versatility and cost-effectiveness across a broad spectrum of military requirements.

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