Featured:

General Atomics unveils SkyGuardian drone

By

An MQ-9 Reaper made a rare public appearance during the 2016 Berlin Air Show June 1-4, 2016 in Berlin, Germany, after being transported to the show by Airmen from the 315th Airlift Wing from Joint Base Charleston, South Carolina. The MQ-9 Predator B/Reaper is a medium altitude, long durance unmanned air vehicle. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Tom Brading)

General Atomics has unveiled a variant of its Predator UAV designed to operate in civil airspace.

Slated for production beginning in 2018, the SkyGuardian “is the result of a five-year long company funded effort to deliver an RPA system that can operate under the stringent airworthiness requirements of non-military airspace,” according to a General Atomics news release.

“The aircraft leverages the legacy of the multi-mission Predator B fleet, which has amassed nearly two million flight hours. SkyGuardian can fly in excess of 35 hours with airspeeds up to 210 knots, and reach altitudes of more than 14000 meters,” the company said.


The UAV, built as a General Atomics internal development project, can carry sensor and communications payloads suitable for missions such as border patrol, maritime surveillance and disaster relief.

About 

Michael Peck is a correspondent for Defense News and a columnist for the Center for European Policy Analysis. He holds an M.A. in political science from Rutgers University. Find him at theuncommondefense.com. His email is mikedefense1@gmail.com.