General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc.

General Atomics Aeronautical - MQ-9B SkyGuardian

Sparrowhawk^®

Multi-Mission Recoverable Small UAS

From the wing of an unmanned aircraft hangs the GA-ASI-designed and - manufactured Sparrowhawk – a small unmanned aircraft system (SUAS) that delivers a multi-mission capability – ISR, SIGINT / ELINT, and jamming – inside a nimble and speedy airframe. Sparrowhawk's size makes it difficult for an adversary to spot, making it ideal for contested environments. An aircraft like the MQ-9 can carry Sparrowhawk under its wing in the same manner as a traditional payload, such as a sensor pod or a fuel tank. In an operational environment, when the MQ-9 reaches an area of interest on a mission, it can do something few remotely operated aircraft have ever done – launch the smaller UAS and then recover it in mid-flight.
Read more on how GA-ASI is expanding its UAS capabilities through small UAS.

When launched from an MQ-9 or similar platform, Sparrowhawk provides:

Expanded mission capability
Collaborative autonomy
Distributed and disaggregated sensors across the battlespace
Below the weather sensor coverage
Attritable sensor capability in highly contested environments

Features

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The peaceful nations of Northern Europe didn’t choose to rewrite their defense and security outlook for the coming decades. The decision was forced upon them by aggression in the east. Now that they’ve decided to act, however, they’re moving swiftly.

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GA-ASI Redefines Maritime Operations with Mojave

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Send UAS, Not Troops, Into the Danger Zone

High-quality intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance is essential for the United States and its allies – but gathering it can be dangerous work. In more than a dozen incidents around the world over the past two years, and many others before that, irresponsible pilots have threatened, harassed, damaged and, in some cases, destroyed American or allied ISR aircraft, often placing the pilots and air crews inside in extreme jeopardy.

GA-ASI’s Avenger Leads the Way in Autonomy and AI

There’s been a lot of talk about building a new generation of autonomous systems to help the U.S. and its allies preserve their advantage in airpower. General Atomics Aeronautical Systems is leading the way. To understand how, consider the scale and nature of the challenge: Tomorrow’s Air Force needs large numbers of versatile, highly capable aircraft to scout ahead, share what they sense, take on tasks and act largely on their own.

MQ-9A: Helping the Marine Corps Transform Expeditionary Warfare

As it ushers in the coming era of Expeditionary Advanced Base Operations, the Marines are turning to sophisticated unmanned aircraft to outmaneuver these threats.

MQ-9B - A Growing Track Record of Performance in the Maritime Domain

Unmanned aircraft have been revolutionizing intelligence, military, and so many other applications for years. Now their impact extends to the way navies operate at sea. Leading the way is the MQ-9B SeaGuardian®, which enables the most advanced navies, coast guard agencies, and other maritime authorities to patrol longer, detect more, and make existing units much more effective.

How GA-ASI Is Driving Airspace Integration for UAS

The vision of integrating unmanned aircraft systems, or UAS, into airspace alongside traditional manned aircraft is rapidly becoming a reality. UAS play a pivotal role in accomplishing a wide array of critical tasks, and as our utilization of these systems increases, so does our proficiency in operating and handling them. However, to fully reap those benefits, it is imperative that UAS are granted authorization to fly in a civil airspace.