The first production-representative General Atomics Aeronautical Systems (GA-ASI) MQ-9B SkyGuardian Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPA) has made its first flight from the company’s flight operations facility in El Mirage, California.

The new SkyGuardian, known within GA-ASI as BC03, is a company aircraft that is being utilized for ground and flight testing to collect airworthiness certification data starting with flight loads and aircraft performance testing. The results from the tests will form the Type Certification Exposition needed to achieve the Military Type Certificate for the Protector platform.

This aircraft will be followed by BC04, which will also be known as UK1, according to GA-ASI President David R. Alexander. As its designation suggests, this aircraft will eventually go to the UK’s Royal Air Force (RAF) as the first as the first Protector RG Mk1, the name for its SkyGuardians.

“Production has already begun on BC04 and prior to delivery, it will be used for Combined System Test and weapons testing,” said Alexander.

“We remain on schedule for delivering MQ-9B Protector to the RAF,” said Linden Blue, CEO, GA-ASI, “Protector revolutionizes the long-endurance RPA market by providing true all-weather capability, and NATO-standard Type-Certification to enable flexible operations in civil airspace”.

The multi-mission MQ-9B is built for all-weather performance with lightning protection, damage tolerance, and a de-icing system. SkyGuardian, as well as the maritime SeaGuardian, features a GA-ASI-developed Detect and Avoid System (DAAS).

In addition to the RAF, MQ-9B has been selected by the Australian Government for the Australian Defence Force (ADF) under Project Air 7003. The Government of Belgium has also approved Belgian Defense to negotiate the acquisition of GA-ASI’s MQ-9B.

Project AIR 7003 will deliver an armed, Medium Altitude, Long Endurance (MALE) unmanned aircraft to provide an integrated and persistent intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) and attack capability to support ADF and coalition forces.

It is expected that Australia will acquire 12-16 systems for the requirement, with deliveries expected to start in the 2020-2021 period with entry into service being in the 2022-2023 timeframe.

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Kym Bergmann
Kym Bergmann is the editor for Asia Pacific Defence Reporter (APDR) and Defence Review Asia (DRA). He has more than 25 years of experience in journalism and the defence industry. After graduating with honours from the Australian National University, he joined Capital 7 television, holding several positions including foreign news editor and chief political correspondent. During that time he also wrote for Business Review Weekly, undertaking analysis of various defence matters.After two years on the staff of a federal minister, he moved to the defence industry and held senior positions in several companies, including Blohm+Voss, Thales, Celsius and Saab. In 1997 he was one of two Australians selected for the Thomson CSF 'Preparation for Senior Management' MBA course. He has also worked as a consultant for a number of companies including Raytheon, Tenix and others. He has served on the boards of Thomson Sintra Pacific and Saab Pacific.

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