General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA‑ASI) has announced that it opened an office in Abu Dhabi in August to support its Middle East and North African (MENA) customers. Additionally, it will support the United Arab Emirates, the first customer of the Predator RPA -series outside of the U.S. and NATO countries.
“GA-ASI has tremendous capabilities to offer MENA countries, and our office in Abu Dhabi supports the goal of expanding our presence in these regions while strengthening our customer relationships,” said Frank W. Pace, President, Aircraft Systems, GA-ASI. “We intend to support these markets with complete RPA systems and full-service sustainment for many years to come and have selected a team with an established track record for generating results to energize our business development efforts in these territories.”
GA-ASI’s Abu Dhabi office was opened to demonstrate the company’s commitment to supporting the MENA regions’ growing defense and aerospace requirements. The office’s objective is to implement a business model allowing the company to grow and shape its customer market, pursuing new opportunities within the MENA countries. Additionally, the office will establish a strong local presence for GA-ASI, strengthening working relationships within the UAE and neighboring countries in the region.
With an endurance of over 35 hours and the ability to ascend up to 25,000 feet, Predator XP is designed with state-of-the-art technologies, including an automatic takeoff and landing capability, redundant flight control surfaces, enhanced avionics, triple-redundant flight control computers, a high-definition Electro-optical Infrared (EO/IR) camera sensor, and a wide-area search radar system for both overland and maritime surveillance. The aircraft also is equipped with both Line-of-Sight (LOS) and Beyond Line-of-Sight (BLOS) data link systems for over-the-horizon operations. Predator XP is GA-ASI’s newest aircraft design and has completed over 90 flight tests since its first flight in June 2014. It is now in production and ready to meet the growing need for Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) capability in the MENA region..
About GA-ASI
General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc., an affiliate of General Atomics, delivers situational awareness by providing remotely piloted aircraft systems, radar, 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.
Source: Press Release