General Atomics Aeronautical Systems (GA-ASI) has signed an agreement with the Polish Ministry of National Defence (Ministerstwo Obrony Narodowej – MON) to deliver MQ-9A Reaper aircraft.
The net value of this lease agreement is approximately $70.6m.
Once acquired, the MQ9A remotely piloted aircraft (RPA) is expected to provide defensive capabilities to enhance Poland’s national security.
GA-ASI CEO Linden Blue said: “GA-ASI’s support for Poland and the Nato alliance is steadfast as they confront the ongoing war in the region.
“We look forward to delivering our proven MQ-9A platform system to Poland to enhance the nation’s ability to conduct persistent airborne intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) and support its defence forces.”
The MQ-9A Reaper RPA features a 1,746kg payload capacity, along with a 1,361kg external storage capacity.
Capable of operating at a speed of 240 knots true airspeed (ktas), the uncrewed system offers an endurance ability of more than 27 hours.
It has been designed to provide persistent surveillance capability to the operators, leveraging its full-motion video and synthetic aperture radar.
The company’s MQ-9A Block 5 is also fitted with a triple redundant avionics system and a fault-tolerant flight control system that allows the operators to meet the reliability standards of a crewed aircraft.
At present, the GA-ASI’s RPA system is in service with several allied and partner nations, including the US, the UK, Spain, Italy, France and the Netherlands.
In 2020, GA-ASI delivered the final two MQ-9A Block 5 aircraft, as well as a ground control station to the Spanish Air Force.
The UK and Belgium have also acquired the upgraded version of this MQ-9A RPA, called the MQ-9B variant.
Earlier this month, GA-ASI delivered the first Protector RG MK1 MQ-9B RPA to the UK MoD.
