General Atomics Teams up With Five Belgian Firms to Support SkyGuardian UAV Ops

General Atomics has teamed with Belgium’s SABCA, Thales Belgium, Esterline, DronePort and Newtec to provide Maintenance Repair Overhaul (MRO) activities and other services to support the Belgian military’s selection of SkyGuardian UAVs.

GA-ASI and SABCA will be responsible for production and MRO activities, including initial in-country entry into service and support for SkyGuardian. Production of the lightning-protected SATCOM radome for all MQ-9B SkyGuardian and SeaGuardianTM systems at SABCA is also included, the company said in a statement Tuesday.

GA‑ASI and Thales Belgium will collaborate on RPA surveillance sensor data processing, exploitation, and dissemination (PED) solutions, including the integration of MQ-9B into Belgian military data networks. Thales Belgium has extensive experience providing intelligence, infrastructure, and PED capabilities to Belgian forces.

DronePort Incubator will provide segregated airspace and the opportunity to test and demonstrate new UAV applications.

The Government of Belgium recently announced the selection of MQ-9B SkyGuardian to meet the RPA requirements of Belgian Defense. The MQ-9B has also been selected by the Royal Air Force for its PROTECTOR RG Mk1 program.