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Belgian Crew Trains To Operate Remotely Piloted Aircraft

The MQ-9B SkyGuardian is making progress toward operational use.

A Belgian aircrew completed training to operate the MQ-9B SkyGuardian. Credit: General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc.

A Belgian aircrew completes training to operate the MQ-9B SkyGuardian. Credit: General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc.

General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc.’s (GA-ASI’s) remotely piloted aircraft (RPA), the MQ-9B SkyGuardian, is expected to complete acceptance test procedures and be in Belgium before the end of September following recent aircrew training, according to GA-ASI’s July 17 press release.

The first Belgian aircrew completed training at GA-ASI’s Desert Horizon test facility in El Mirage, California, where crew members focused on the foundational skills required to operate the MQ-9B SkyGuardian and its equipment, the release said.

According to GA-ASI, the members of the aircrew built foundations for normal and emergency operations in intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance systems; instrument flying; and automatic takeoff and landing capability (ATLC). Aircrew members specifically worked with the multispectral targeting system, synthetic aperture radar, mission intelligence station and system for tasking and real-time exploitation.

According to GA-ASI, MQ-9B is an advanced RPA system with ATLC that will be able to operate in unsegregated airspace using GA-ASI’s Detect and Avoid system. SkyGuardian is meant to enable joint forces and civil authorities to deliver real-time situational awareness anywhere in the world, with the ability to fly via satellite for more than 40 hours in all types of weather, according to GA-ASI’s website.

"Providing all-encompassing training for the aircrews of our customers goes hand in hand with delivering the world's most capable RPA," GA-ASI President David R. Alexander said in the release. "Completing this training ensures that Belgium is ready and able to operate their MQ-9Bs and maximize the benefits that come from long-range, high-endurance RPA."

The MQ-9B includes the SkyGuardian and SeaGuardian models and has supported multiple U.S. Navy exercises, including Northern Edge, Integrated Battle Problem and Group Sail.

The MQ-9B SkyGuardian is the first of the Belgian Ministry of Defence’s four-aircraft purchase, and its first flight was completed in February, the release stated. According to GA-ASI’s website, the United Kingdom’s Royal Air Force will be the first force to operate the SkyGuardian under its own designation, Protector RG Mk1.