Marks First Step of Physical Production; Flight Testing Planned for Late 2016
SAN DIEGO – 6 July 2016 – General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA‑ASI), a leading manufacturer of Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPA) systems, radars, and electro-optic and related mission systems solutions, today announced that fuselage integration of its new Certifiable Predator® B (CPB) RPA system in now underway.
"The start of fuselage integration for the CPB aircraft represents a significant milestone in our progression towards building a certifiable platform," said Dave R. Alexander, president, Aircraft Systems, GA-ASI. "CPB will provide a next-generation capability, integrating enhanced safety and reliability systems that will enable RPA flight within civilian airspace, ushering in a new era in unmanned aviation."
During fuselage integration, numerous components will be installed, including brackets and mounting hardware, electrical cables, fuel systems, oil and cooling systems, landing gear, avionics hardware and software, and a propulsion system.
The next major phase of the aircraft assembly effort consists of wings and tails integration, which is planned for summer 2016, to be followed by complete electrical factory testing.
Upon successfully completing all installations and inspections, the aircraft will undergo power checks, fuel checks, and a complete system check. Lastly, ground verification testing will be conducted prior to first flight of the CPB prototype aircraft. Flight testing is planned for late 2016.
GA-ASI is undertaking an Independent Research and Development (IRAD) effort to design, develop, and produce CPB, a variant of its Predator B RPA that is fully compliant with NATO's UAV SYSTEM AIRWORTHINESS REQUIREMENTS (defined in STANAG 4671).
Photos of Certifiable Predator B in production are available to qualified media outlets from the GA-ASI media contact listed below.
About GA-ASI
General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc., an affiliate of General Atomics, delivers situational awareness by providing remotely piloted aircraft systems, radars, and electro-optic and related mission systems solutions for military and commercial applications worldwide. The company's Aircraft Systems business unit is a leading designer and manufacturer of proven, reliable, RPA systems, including Predator A, Predator B/MQ-9 Reaper®, Gray Eagle, the new Predator C Avenger®, and Predator XP. It also manufactures a variety of state-of-the-art digital Ground Control Stations (GCS), including the next-generation Advanced Cockpit GCS, and provides pilot training and support services for RPA field operations. The Mission Systems business unit designs, manufactures, and integrates the Lynx® Multi-mode Radar and sophisticated Claw® sensor control and image analysis software into both manned and remotely piloted aircraft. It also focuses on providing integrated sensor payloads and software for Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) aircraft platforms and develops high energy lasers, electro-optic sensors, and meta-material antennas. For more information, please visit www.ga-asi.com.
Predator, Reaper, Avenger, Lynx, and Claw are registered trademarks of General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc.
For more information contact:
Kimberly Kasitz
Public Relations Manager
General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc.
+1.858.312.2294
kimberly.kasitz@ga-asi.com