GA-ASI Adapts Ground Control Station to Fly MQ-9B

SAN DIEGO, June 25, 2026 – (ACN Newswire) –General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI) is working to adjust its Block 30 Ground Control Stations (GCS) to fly the business’s more recent design MQ-9B SkyGuardian ® and SeaGuardian ® Remotely Piloted Aircraft. When these upgrades are total, they will allow present users of the Block 30 system, initially developed to fly the MQ-9A Reaper ®, to keep that devices and utilize it to run the more capable airplane.

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Present users consist of the U.S. Air Force, U.S. Marine Corps, the Italian Air Force, the French Air Force, the United Arab Emirates Armed Forces, the Spanish Air Force, and the Royal Netherlands Air Force.

GA-ASI established the MQ-9B through its own internal research study and advancement. The updated brand-new airplane needed a brand-new and more effective GCS. The continuous deal with the Block 30 GCS now indicates that potential users with existing stocks of devices would not require to purchase brand-new ground control devices to run the MQ-9B airplane they obtained.

“We want to do all we can to deliver to most capable model of our aircraft to our customers, and that’s MQ-9B,” stated GA-ASI President David R. Alexander. “We also know that by investing our own Internal Research & Development dollars, we can deliver MQ-9B at a lower acquisition cost by adapting the GCS for our current customers.”

Business efforts to update the Block 30 concentrate on its datalink ability for MQ-9B operation. This consists of the setup of a brand-new datalink rack, the GA Interface Multiplexor Encryptor, which is the heart of the MQ-9B interactions and telemetry system. In addition to the hardware adjustments, the software application will likewise be customized to user interface with the special abilities on the MQ-9B.

When the adjustments are made to Block 30, the GCS will have the ability to fly both the MQ-9A and the MQ-9B airplane and will be quickly switchable from one to the other.

GA-ASI anticipates to start flight screening the broadened Block 30 by the end of this year.

About GA-ASI

General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc., is the world’s primary home builder of Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS). Logging more than 9 million flight hours, the Predator ® line of UAS has actually flown for over 30 years and consists of MQ-9A Reaper ®, MQ-1C Gray Eagle ®, MQ-20 Avenger ®, and MQ-9B SkyGuardian ®/ SeaGuardian ®. The business is committed to offering long-endurance, multi-mission services that provide consistent situational awareness and quick strike.

For more details, go to www.ga-asi.com.

Avenger, EagleEye, Gray Eagle, Lynx, Predator, Reaper, SeaGuardian, and SkyGuardian are hallmarks of General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc., signed up in the United States and/or other nations.

GA-ASI Media Relations
General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc.
ASI-MediaRelations@ga-asi.com
(858) 524-8101

SOURCE:General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc.

Subject: Press release summary