The final phase concluded on 31 October 2025 and focused on validating structural integrity under long-term use. Engineers used the results to identify possible weaknesses ahead of fleet operations and to support the development of inspection and maintenance plans.
GA-ASI President David R. Alexander said, “The completion of our full-scale fatigue test validates years of GA-ASI design and analysis efforts.” He added, “The first two lifetimes simulated the operation of the aircraft under normal conditions, and the third intentionally inflicted damage to the airframe’s critical components to demonstrate its ability to tolerate operational damage that could occur over the lifetime of the aircraft.”
Testing ran from 13 December 2022 to 31 October 2025 at Wichita State University’s National Institute for Aviation Research in Kansas. GA-ASI used a purpose-built production airframe for the campaign.
The MQ-9B family covers the SkyGuardian and SeaGuardian variants as well as the Protector RG Mk1 now being delivered to the Royal Air Force. Current procurement contracts also include Belgium, Canada, Japan, Taiwan, Poland, India, Denmark and the U.S. Air Force for Special Operations Command, and the aircraft has featured in several recent U.S. Navy exercises.
