On Dec. 22, 2022, Normal Atomics Aeronautical Techniques, Inc. (GA-ASI) and the Air Nationwide Guard (ANG), with joint help from the U.S. Marine Corps (USMC) and U.S. Air Drive (USAF), flight examined an MQ-9A remotely piloted plane (RPA) geared up with a Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite tv for pc communications (SATCOM) Command and Management system. This groundbreaking functionality supplies world protection and connectivity that may allow pole-to-pole operations for GA-ASI’s household of RPA – together with fashions such because the MQ-9B SkyGuardian®/SeaGuardian®, MQ-9A Reaper, and Grey Eagle 25M.
“That is really game-changing for our platforms,” mentioned GA-ASI President David R. Alexander. “Utilizing LEO SATCOM not solely retains GA-ASI plane linked from the North Pole to the South Pole to permit operations in probably the most austere environments, however it should additionally present resilient connectivity that permits operators to cross far more information to and from the plane.”
Early testing signifies LEO SATCOM considerably reduces latency and can be utilized in all phases of flight. For patrons throughout the MQ-9 household of programs, LEO SATCOM ought to lower operational prices, and the smaller {hardware} footprint will finally improve flexibility and scale back future payload integration prices.
The MQ-9A flight check was primarily based out of GA-ASI’s Grey Butte Flight Operations Facility close to Palmdale, Calif., and adopted a number of weeks of floor testing.
