Manufacturer catalog

General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc.

General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. is the unmanned aircraft systems subsidiary of General Atomics, headquartered in Poway, California. It designs and builds remotely piloted aircraft, ground control stations, radars, and mission payloads that anchor the catalog's UAV and sensor entries.

2 weapons

General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI) is the unmanned aircraft subsidiary of General Atomics. Founded in 1992 and headquartered in Poway, California, it helped define the modern armed UAS market through the Predator line and its MQ-9 descendants.

In this catalog, GA-ASI is the recurring manufacturer behind remotely piloted aircraft, ground control stations, sensors, and related mission systems. The profile links the company to the weapon records that carry its manufacturer name and gives the catalog a source-backed industrial context.

unmanned aircraft systemsremotely piloted aircraftground control stationsradarselectro-optic mission systems

Notable Systems

MQ-9 Reaper, Medium-altitude long-endurance unmanned combat aerial vehicle, Aircraft & UAVs

MQ-9 Reaper

Medium-altitude long-endurance unmanned combat aerial vehicle

GA-ASI's best-known medium-altitude long-endurance RPA and the connected catalog entry for this profile.

Sources: manufacturer, background

Predator RPA family

The line that established GA-ASI's long-endurance unmanned-aircraft business and led to the MQ-9 family.

Sources: background
MQ-9 Reaper, Medium-altitude long-endurance unmanned combat aerial vehicle, Aircraft & UAVs

MQ-9B SkyGuardian / SeaGuardian

Medium-altitude long-endurance unmanned combat aerial vehicle

Next-generation long-endurance RPAS family in GA-ASI's current product line.

Sources: manufacturer

Manufacturer History

  1. Established as a business

    GA-ASI was established on April 28, 1992, and won its first contract that same year for six GNAT-750 unmanned aircraft systems.

    Sources: background

  2. Predator program award

    The company won its first major program award for the Predator RPA from the U.S. Joint Program Office, later transferred to the U.S. Air Force.

    Sources: background

  3. Thirty years in business

    GA-ASI marked 30 years in business, reporting more than 1,000 aircraft delivered and more than 7 million flight hours across its fleet.

    Sources: background

Website links
About GA-ASIContactMQ-9A ReaperMQ-9B SkyGuardian

Manufacturer Sources

  • About GA-ASIPublisher: General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. | Note: Supports GA-ASI's manufacturer background, product focus, and its status as an affiliate of General Atomics. | Accessed: 2026-06-21
  • GA-ASI 30 Years of UAS InnovationPublisher: General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. | Note: Supports the 1992 founding date, early GNAT-750 and Predator milestones, headquarters in Poway, and the company's fleet scale. | Accessed: 2026-06-21
  • Contact InformationPublisher: General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. | Note: Supports the Poway, California headquarters address used for the builder profile. | Accessed: 2026-06-21
  • General Atomics HomePublisher: General Atomics | Note: Supports parent-company context and private ownership background for GA-ASI as an affiliate. | Accessed: 2026-06-21
  • MQ-9A ReaperPublisher: General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. | Note: Supports the MQ-9 family as a current GA-ASI product line connected to this builder catalog page. | Accessed: 2026-06-21
  • File: Ikhana (1).jpgPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Public-domain NASA photograph of Ikhana, a Predator B variant built by GA-ASI; used to document image provenance and reuse context for the builder page. | Accessed: 2026-06-21

Produced weapons

Category

Aircraft & UAVs

Crewed aircraft, drones, and loitering munitions.

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Predator XP, Medium-altitude long-endurance ISR remotely piloted aircraft, Aircraft & UAVs2014 Yemen Civil WarPredator XPMedium-altitude long-endurance ISR remotely piloted aircraftBuilt in: United States / United Arab EmiratesPredator XP is General Atomics Aeronautical Systems' export-focused Predator-family remotely piloted aircraft for persistent overland and maritime intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance missions. The unarmed variant was licensed for a wider export market than armed MQ-1 Predators, with the UAE becoming the first announced customer through an International Golden Group procurement path. GA-ASI still described the UAE Armed Forces as Predator XP operators in 2023, and open-source research ties Emirati Predator XP deployment to the Yemen war.
MQ-9 Reaper, Medium-altitude long-endurance unmanned combat aerial vehicle, Aircraft & UAVs2001 War in Afghanistan, 2003 Iraq War +7 moreMQ-9 ReaperMedium-altitude long-endurance unmanned combat aerial vehicleBuilt in: United StatesThe MQ-9 Reaper is a General Atomics medium-altitude, long-endurance remotely piloted aircraft built for persistent intelligence collection and precision strike. Larger and more powerful than the MQ-1 Predator, it combines satellite control, electro-optical and infrared sensors, laser designation, and weapons such as Hellfire missiles and guided bombs, making it a recurring U.S. and coalition platform in counterterrorism, maritime-security, and regional-strike operations.