Company
General Atomics Aeronautical Systems
[General Atomics Aeronautical Systems](https://www.ga-asi.com) (GA-ASI) is a military contractor and subsidiary of General Atomics that designs and…
- Founded
- 1993
- HQ
- Poway, California, USA
- Status
- private
Appears inMilitary & defense drones
Models
2
Overview
General Atomics Aeronautical Systems (GA-ASI) is a military contractor and subsidiary of General Atomics that designs and manufactures unmanned aerial vehicles and radar systems for the U.S. military and commercial applications worldwide. Best known for the MQ-9 Reaper and MQ-1 Predator drone families, the company is San Diego County's largest defense contractor with approximately 15,000 employees and .2 billion in annual revenue.
Verified record
- Verified deployments
- None on file
- Active incidents
- 3 incidents on file
DEPLOY Intelligence
Market intelligence for physical AI
Analyst-grade signals, competitive tracking, and investment context across the global physical AI landscape. Launching 2026.
Key facts
Product
MQ-9 Reaper (remotely-piloted MALE; 575 built) + MQ-9B SkyGuardian/SeaGuardian.
Autonomy
REMOTELY-PILOTED, not autonomous; Quadratix adds AI-assisted ISR. Legacy-prime contrast.
wikipedia
wikidata
CEO
Linden P. Blue
President
Dave R. Alexander
Parent
General Atomics
Revenue
US.2 billion (2024)
Employees
15000 (2025)
Data & sources
Press releases
1
Web sources
3
4 sources backing this record.View all →
Models (2)
View all models →Previous platform
MQ-9 Reaper
Medium-altitude long-endurance armed UAV. 27-hour endurance, 3,800 lb payload, Hellfire missiles and precision bombs. Primary US armed drone for ISR and strike missions.
Current platform
MQ-9 Reaper
General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, the privately held San Diego incumbent behind the Predator lineage, makes the MQ-9 Reaper, the canonical legacy medium-altitude long-endurance remotely-piloted aircraft against which the AI-first new-defense wave is contrasted. The MQ-9A first flew on February 2, 2001 and entered service in May 2007; it is flown by a crew of a pilot, a sensor operator, and a mission-intelligence coordinator at a ground control station, with roughly thirty hours of ISR endurance, a 3,800-pound payload, and Hellfire missiles and laser- and GPS-guided bombs. As of 2026 some 575 have been built, with the US Air Force operating about 158 active plus 24 Air National Guard aircraft at the end of fiscal 2025 and the Marine Corps receiving its final MQ-9A in June 2025, alongside operators including the UK, Italy, France, Spain, the Netherlands, and Belgium. Critically and honestly, the Reaper is remotely piloted, not autonomous: humans retain flight control and all weapons decisions, with automatic takeoff, landing, and threat-tracking as assistance features, and the newer Quadratix software introduced in March 2025 adds AI and autonomy for single-operator multi-sensor ISR on the MQ-9B but remains operator-controlled rather than an autonomous kill chain, so the word drone should not imply AI-autonomy here. A lifecycle nuance worth recording: the MQ-9A production line closed in 2025 after the Air Force declined further buys, while the longer-endurance MQ-9B SkyGuardian and SeaGuardian, operated by the UK as Protector RG Mk1 and contracted to Taiwan and Germany, are the active in-production successor, so this single record spans a mature, sunsetting platform and its in-production replacement.
General Atomics Aeronautical Systems on the deployment map
Where General Atomics Aeronautical Systems's robots are verified operating. Explore the deployment map by place and type.
- delivery and inspection drones in United States →
- delivery and inspection drones in California →
- delivery and inspection drones in Ukraine (combat zones) →
- delivery and inspection drones in Nevada →
- delivery and inspection drones in United Kingdom →
- delivery and inspection drones in China →
- The global deployment map →
Relationships
Explainers
Plain-language answers to the questions people ask about General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, from DEPLOY’s explainer library. Each is written in the language of the question and cross-checked against this registry.
- What is an autonomous drone?
An autonomous drone is an uncrewed aerial vehicle (UAV) whose flight is directed by onboard AI + autonomy stack rather than continuous human remote-piloting. Per DEPLOY's framework, the cohort splits across three classes with distinct verification anchors: new-defense (Anduril Roadrunner/Fury/Ghost/Bolt + Helsing HX-2/HF-1 + Shield AI V-BAT + Quantum Systems + Neros); legacy-prime (General Atomics MQ-9 lifecycle); commercial-civilian (Skydio + Zipline + Wing + Matternet + Brinc + Wingcopter + XAG + Percepto + Flytrex). Gating events split by class: BVLOS regulatory clearance for commercial; DoD contracts + fielded systems for defense. Editorial discipline: remotely-piloted-vs-autonomous honesty matters; MQ-9 + TB2 + Neros Archer are recorded as remotely-piloted, not autonomous. The framework resists 'drone = AI' inflation.
- What is the MQ-9 Reaper?
The General Atomics MQ-9 Reaper is the canonical legacy-prime AI-augmented military drone: in-service 2007; substantial fielded fleet across US DoD + UK + Italy + Spain + Netherlands + France allied air forces. MQ-9A production closed 2025; MQ-9B (UK Protector) in production. Crewed by 3 at ground station (pilot + sensor operator + mission commander); AI augments ISR + sensor fusion, NOT autonomous mission execution. Per DEPLOY's autonomous drones cluster framework, MQ-9 is the canonical reference against which new-defense onboard-autonomous AI-first cohort (Anduril Lattice + Shield AI Hivemind + Helsing) is compared.
- How does DEPLOY track incident outcome_class and deployment exposure_hours at actuarial depth?
DEPLOY tracks Phase 3 Dim 1 actuarial substrate at primary-source-anchored verification depth across two structurally-distinct axes simultaneously: incident numerator (outcome_class at 67 rows across 61 incidents; multi-class where evidenced; distribution skewed regulatory_action:34 + property_damage:18 + bodily_injury:7 + no_outcome:4 + financial_loss:2 + fatality:1 + near_miss:1) and deployment denominator (exposure_hours at canonical 128-nulls honest-absence; Agent A documented under-population over fabrication). The 128-nulls is the canonical worked example for 'honest absence at full-population scale beats partial fabrication.' Scalar selectivity tight per *_basis verified-vs-claimed discipline: 1 USD figure at primary-source-anchored verification depth (MQ-9 Reaper $32M reported_press gt_10m); 3 fatality_count rows; 5 bodily_injury_severity rows; 4 loss_cost_class rows; most NULL at honest-absence cap-flag. Cap-flag-as-trust-signal operates recursively at three substantive layers simultaneously: 128-null exposure_hours denominator (full-population honest-absence) + scalar selectivity at 1-of-61 USD verified ratio (extreme primary-source-anchored selectivity) + outcome distribution skew (no_outcome:4 documented as substantive editorial state, not as substrate-completeness gap). The framework operates at honesty-as-strength rather than coverage-as-strength: under-population at primary-source-anchored verification depth beats fabrication at marketing-aggregation depth. Rover's 5-commit Dim 1 surface work landed across all four axes (callable MCP tool + structured JSON-LD + human-facing /incidents page + REST aggregated endpoint); substrate is fully live and queryable.
Current leadership (3)
- Linden S. Blue CEOreported, not verified
- Dave R. Alexander Presidentreported, not verified
- J. Neal Blue Chairman & CEO of General Atomicsreported, not verified
Safety record
3 incidents on record (1 critical, 1 serious, 1 moderate). Most recent: Apr 2026.
Most recent: Apr 2026
Only active incidents are counted. Retracted incidents are excluded from this summary but remain reachable at their canonical URLs.
Full safety record: incidents, sourcing, and exposure data →
Incidents affecting General Atomics Aeronautical Systems (3)
- General Atomics CCA drone prototype crashes during test flight2026-04-07 · Malfunction
Includes incidents linked directly to this company, to its models, or to deployments of its models or under its operation. Retracted incidents are excluded from this view but remain reachable at their canonical URLs.
Operator customers (1)
- United States Air Force2 deployments
Recent coverage
General Atomics Aeronautical Systems in third-party press
Peer companies
- Anduril Industries7 models
- DJI7 models
- Amazon4 models
- Autel Robotics4 models
- Teledyne FLIR4 models
- AeroVironment3 models
Financial state
- Reporting basis
- aggregator_estimate
- Lifecycle stage
- mature
- Counterparty risk class
- moderate
Each numeric field carries its own basis marker. Aggregators report a number; this surface preserves the source class so verification depth travels with the value.
Partnerships (3)
- General Atomics x US Air Force CCA with US Air Forcedeployment
- Anduril x General Atomics x US Air Force CCA Production with Anduril Industries, U.S. Air Forcedeployment
- GA-ASI x US Air Force FQ-42A CCA Production with US Air Forcedeployment
Sources (4)
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_Atomics_MQ-9_Reaper
- https://www.airandspaceforces.com/abrupt-end-to-mq-9-production-surprises-general-atomics/
- https://www.ga-asi.com/remotely-piloted-aircraft/mq-9b-skyguardian
- https://www.defenseadvancement.com/feature/quadratix-unified-software-ecosystem-from-general-atomics/
Common questions
- What is General Atomics Aeronautical Systems?
- General Atomics Aeronautical Systems (GA-ASI) is a military contractor and subsidiary of General Atomics that designs and manufactures unmanned aerial vehicles and radar systems for the U.S. military and commercial applications worldwide. Best known for the MQ-9 Reaper and MQ-1 Predator drone families, the company is San Diego County's largest defense contractor with approximately 15,000 employees and .2 billion in annual revenue.
- What does General Atomics Aeronautical Systems make?
- General Atomics Aeronautical Systems has 2 robot models on the DEPLOY registry: MQ-9 Reaper, MQ-9 Reaper (General Atomics Aeronautical Systems builds both physical robots and the AI that runs them).
- Is General Atomics Aeronautical Systems publicly traded?
- No. General Atomics Aeronautical Systems is privately held and not publicly traded, per the DEPLOY registry.
- Who competes with General Atomics Aeronautical Systems?
- On the DEPLOY registry, peer companies to General Atomics Aeronautical Systems building in the same form factors include Anduril Industries, DJI, Amazon, Autel Robotics.
- Where is General Atomics Aeronautical Systems headquartered?
- General Atomics Aeronautical Systems is headquartered in Poway, California, USA.
- Where does General Atomics Aeronautical Systems operate robots?
- General Atomics Aeronautical Systems is a robot manufacturer and does not directly operate deployments on the DEPLOY registry. Its products are deployed by customer operators; see the company page for the verified deployment record.
- Is General Atomics Aeronautical Systems a top robotics company?
- On DEPLOY's intelligence score, which blends verified deployments, funding, hiring, media, safety, and IP signals, General Atomics Aeronautical Systems ranks in roughly the top 54% of companies tracked by the registry.
- When was General Atomics Aeronautical Systems founded?
- General Atomics Aeronautical Systems was founded in 1993.
- Are there any incidents involving General Atomics Aeronautical Systems?
- 3 active incidents involving General Atomics Aeronautical Systems are on the DEPLOY registry. Each is a sourced, append-only record; retracted incidents are suppressed from this view.
- Is General Atomics Aeronautical Systems safe?
- General Atomics Aeronautical Systems has 3 active incidents on record in the DEPLOY registry. 3 incidents on record (1 critical, 1 serious, 1 moderate). Most recent: Apr 2026. Retracted incidents are excluded from this count.
Methodology: Verified · 4 sources (1 primary) · last reviewed 2026-07-03
Verification posture
Verified
High confidence
Review state
Stable
Last reviewed 2026-07-03
Sources by quality tier
- 2
- unclassified
- Unclassified source
- 1
- knowledge-base
- Knowledge base
- 1
- primary-company-ir
- Company IR disclosure
The framework is documented at /methodology. Corrections at /corrections. Reviewer: DEPLOY editorial team.
Methodology surface for General Atomics Aeronautical Systems.Peer companies
- Anduril Industries7 models
- DJI7 models
- Amazon4 models
- Autel Robotics4 models
- Teledyne FLIR4 models
- AeroVironment3 models
In the press
Recent coverage mentioning General Atomics Aeronautical Systems from third-party publications. Automatically surfaced; not part of the verified registry record.
US Air Force Awards GA-ASI Production Contract for FQ-42A CCA
General Atomics Aeronautical Systems received a production contract from the US Air Force for FQ-42A CCA drone wingman program. Awarded alongside Anduril for the first CCA…
Air Force picks Anduril, General Atomics to build first operational CCA drones
The U.S. Air Force selected Anduril and General Atomics for CCA production. Anduril produces FQ-42A, General Atomics FQ-44A. Shield AI and Collins also received autonomy software…
US Air Force Awards GA-ASI Production Contract for FQ-42A CCA
US Air Force awarded General Atomics Aeronautical Systems production contract for FQ-42A Collaborative Combat Aircraft.
Air Force picks General Atomics, Anduril to build first CCA loyal wingman drones
US Air Force selected General Atomics and Anduril to build first Collaborative Combat Aircraft loyal wingman drones. Software vendors still competing.
General Atomics' Dark Merlin Drone Crashes During CCA Flight Test
General Atomics' CCA drone prototype (Dark Merlin) crashed following a mishap during flight test. Part of USAF Collaborative Combat Aircraft program.
China retaliates with additional tariffs, places 15 U.S. entities including GA-ASI on export control list
China's Ministry of Commerce placed 15 U.S. entities including General Atomics Aeronautical Systems on its export control list, barring dual-use commodity exports.
General Atomics Aeronautical Systems - Wikipedia
Wikipedia overview of GA-ASI, a military contractor subsidiary of General Atomics that designs and manufactures UAVs including the MQ-9 Reaper, MQ-1 Predator, and MQ-20 Avenger.
General Atomics unveils new unmanned aircraft named for harsh American desert
GA-ASI unveiled the General Atomics Mojave STOL UCAV drone, derived from the Predator family.
Machine-readable surfaces
- Markdown mirror: /companies/general-atomics.md
- RSS feed: /companies/general-atomics/feed.xml
- JSON-LD: embedded in this page’s head
- REST API: /v1/companies/33d9f53e-a5ca-4263-bb2c-2d1650575da3
- Revision history: /companies/general-atomics/history
- Data documentation: /data
- Query this programmatically: Deploy MCP
Peer companies
- Anduril Industries7 models
- DJI7 models
- Amazon4 models
- Autel Robotics4 models
- Teledyne FLIR4 models
- AeroVironment3 models
Video
When deciding about a future capability, it’s important to ask two key questions: How soon can we have it? How can it help win the fight? Mojave is flying toda
This isn’t notional, theoretical, conceptual, or planned – it’s proven. From the #JTAC remote targeting to short takeoff & landing, the hardware & the systems
The freedom to explore. The promise to deliver. General Atomics, based in San Diego, CA, develops advanced technology solutions for government and commercial
We're advancing the new era of collaborative combat aircraft, delivering uncrewed combat aircraft that not only operate at the tactical edge but also enable rap
The Future of Airpower. Ready Today. FQ-42A CCA is an uncrewed fighter jet developed for semi-autonomous air-to-air operation. It's designed to fly alongside f
Essential Technology to Integrate Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) into the National Airspace System (NAS) ga-asi.com/detect-and-avoid-system
[video: General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI) ]
Transforming Data to Knowledge. Quadratix unifies our software capabilities— across all domains— into a single, interconnected enterprise. Learn more: quadratix
The Polish Ministry of National Defense signed an agreement with US drone manufacturer General Atomics Aeronautical Systems (GA-ASI), to lease the MQ-9A Reaper
General Atomics’ recently unveiled air combat drone has completed its maiden flight, marking a significant advancement in the Air Force’s pursuit of what it ter
#aviation #fighter #subscribe #airshow #jets #video #wow #trending #military #Freedom #Defense #Power #Technology #Speed #DefenseContractor #USAF #navy#cca The
From start to finish, General Atomics Aeronautical Systems engineers play a pivotal role in the creation and sustainment of the world’s most cutting-edge remote
ThreatStatusTimes.com Threat Status explores the underpinnings of U.S. global drone dominance with General Atomics, a company that shaped the backbone of Ameri
The General Atomics Aeronautical Systems YFQ-42A. The future of air superiority. Learn more: https://ow.ly/HhRo50VbbUi #UAS #YFQ42A #UCAV Follow us for upda
General Atomics, GA-ASI Unmanned Aircraft Systems. #shorts General Atomics, GA-ASI #SHORTS #shorts #youtubeshorts #YouTubeshorts
[video: General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI) ]
Develop and deploy end-to-end autonomous systems that enable unmanned aerial systems. Bring your machine learning experience to General Atomics Aeronautical Sys
Hear from General Atomics employees in their own words. Jared's experience as an engineer on our Flight Technologies team showed him we might be under the radar
GA-ASI is delivering next-level #autonomy that can scale and adapt as mission needs evolve. We develop cutting-edge software solutions that enable our advanced
#generalatomics #freedomtoexplore #engineer #engineering #manufacturing
At General Atomics, we don't just design our products, we produce them. From concept to final product we see the process through from end-to-end. #generalatom
Reality vs attention
General Atomics Aeronautical Systems draws attention at the 84th percentile but verifies reality at the 79th percentile among aerial robots. Hype Gap +4.6, 28th widest among aerial robots.
6-month trend
Analysis
Safety profile within acceptable range for category. Limited public funding data for capital position assessment.
Signal flags
Dimension breakdown
Verified signal
Attention (reach, not merit)
DEPLOY Intelligence scores are computed from verified registry data: confirmed deployments, disclosed funding rounds, regulatory filings, active job listings, video viewership, and press coverage. Confidence ratings reflect data availability. Scores update nightly.
DEPLOY Indices — verified vs claimed
Last computed: Jul 14, 2026