GA-ASI has tracked flight hours since its founding 33 years ago, with its portfolio including Predator, Reaper, Gray Eagle, Avenger, and MQ-9B SkyGuardian/SeaGuardian. “What an amazing moment,” said GA-ASI President David R. Alexander. “Having spent so much time supporting the U.S. military and its allies around the world with our other aircraft, it seems fitting that flight testing our new unmanned fighter jet for the U.S. Air Force was what helped bring us past this milestone as we look ahead to a program that will change air dominance again.”
The YFQ-42A’s operations are part of wider global activity, with as many as 50 GA-ASI aircraft in flight at any given time supporting U.S. and allied security. Since the first flight of the RQ-1 Predator in 1994, GA-ASI’s unmanned aircraft have become a mainstay, later evolving into models such as the MQ-1C Gray Eagle, MQ-9A Reaper, and MQ-20 Avenger.
Deliveries of the MQ-9B SkyGuardian and SeaGuardian are underway to the Royal Air Force, the Belgian Air Force, and customers in Canada, Denmark, Poland, Japan, Taiwan, India, and the United States. The aircraft, which features automatic takeoff and landing and the GA-ASI-developed Detect and Avoid system, is described by the company as the world’s most advanced Remotely Piloted Aircraft System.
GA-ASI has also advanced new concepts of operation for uncrewed combat aircraft, building the XQ-67A Off Board Sensing Station for the U.S. Air Force Research Lab. In August, the company confirmed the start of flight testing for its third jet, the YFQ-42A, which it said is designed for rapid production in large numbers at an affordable price.
