AFSOC Becomes first American Buyer for SkyGuardian UAS | Aero-News Network
Aero-News Network
RSS icon RSS feed
podcast icon MP3 podcast
Subscribe Aero-News e-mail Newsletter Subscribe

Airborne Unlimited -- Most Recent Daily Episodes

Episode Date

Airborne-Monday

Airborne-Tuesday

Airborne-Wednesday Airborne-Thursday

Airborne-Friday

Airborne On YouTube

Airborne-Unlimited-07.07.25

Airborne-NextGen-07.08.25

AirborneUnlimited-07.09.25

Airborne-FlightTraining-07.10.25

AirborneUnlimited-07.11.25

Sat, Mar 11, 2023

AFSOC Becomes first American Buyer for SkyGuardian UAS

General Atomics Sees Continued Interest in MQ-9B

General Atomics snagged a new contract with the U.S. Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC) for 3 of their MQ-9B SkyGuardians.

AFSOC now becomes the first US customer for the -9B model, an easy transition given its history operating the MQ-9A Reaper over the past 14 years. The new SkyGuardian will take up a "key role in developing AFSOC’s new Adaptive Airborne Enterprise (A2E) concept," which expects the AFSOC to project air power from far beyond the horizon. The A2E system will hinge on a similar idea to the older USAF "High-Low" concept, where larger, pricier elements like the SkyGuardian will be accompanied by smaller, expendable UAS assets for use in denied environments.

“We’re very excited to continue our great partnership with AFSOC well into the future,” said David R. Alexander, president of General Atomics. “MQ-9B is the ideal platform for inserting air-launched effects into potentially hostile environments. The MQ-9B’s combination of range, endurance, reduced manpower footprint, and overall flexibility will make it a true centerpiece of AFSOC’s future family of advanced UAS systems.”

Since being unveiled, the MQ-9B has been picking up a good deal of interest from customers around the world. Recent wins include a contract with the UK MoD, where the SkyGuardian was selected for the Protector program. The Belgian MoD has signed a similar deal, and the Japanese Coast Guard will begin operating a maritime configuration, the SeaGuardian in April 2023.

FMI: www.ga-asi.com

Advertisement

More News

NTSB Final Report: Aviat A1

Airplane Bounced About 3 Ft Then Touched Back Down And Then, With No Brakes Applied, The Airplane Began Veering To The Left Analysis: The pilot entered the airport traffic pattern >[...]

ANN's Daily Aero-Linx (07.08.25)

Aero Linx: British Microlight Aircraft Association (BMAA) The primary focus within all aviation activity is SAFETY. In all aspects of our sport SAFETY must come first, whether it b>[...]

Classic Aero-TV: Fly Corvair’s Reliable Engine Alternative

From SnF25 (YouTube Edition): William Wynne Builds Practical Aircraft Engines on the Corvair Platform Seeking an affordable alternative to the traditional aircraft engine options, >[...]

ANN FAQ: Contributing To Aero-TV

How To Get A Story On Aero-TV News/Feature Programming How do I submit a story idea or lead to Aero-TV? If you would like to submit a story idea or lead, please contact Jim Campbel>[...]

Classic Aero-TV: CiES Fuel-Quantity and e-Throttle Systems Praised

From 2023 (YouTube Edition): Bridge of CiES CiES Inc. is a Bend, Oregon-based designer and manufacturer of modular embedded aircraft systems and sensors. The company’s fuel-l>[...]

blog comments powered by Disqus



Advertisement

Advertisement

Podcasts

Advertisement

© 2007 - 2025 Web Development & Design by Pauli Systems, LC