GA-ASI prepares ELINT and COMINT capabilities for RIMPAC exercise

General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI) completed a series of Electronic Intelligence (ELINT), Communication Intelligence (COMINT), and Link 16 payload flight test events near Palmdale and Edwards Air Force Base in California in preparation for Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) 2022 exercise. The sensors were integrated onto GA-ASI’s MQ-9B SeaGuardian® Unmanned Aircraft System, which will be featured at RIMPAC 2022.

RIMPAC is the world’s largest international maritime exercise involving more than 40 ships and 150 aircraft from 27 partner nations. The 2022 exercise will take place late June to early August in Hawaii and Southern California.

“GA-ASI is proud to be participating in the U.S. Navy’s RIMPAC exercise,” said GA-ASI Vice President of DoD Strategic Development, Patrick Shortsleeve. “SeaGuardian is the ultimate unmanned system for maritime security, with its multi-domain Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR), targeting Signal Intelligence (SIGINT), and sonobuoy monitoring and control. The Edwards AFB test flights helped ensure and enhance the accuracy of our systems ahead of the exercise.”

The flight tests near Palmdale and Edwards AFB were conducted April 20-June 9, 2022. The ELINT payload on SeaGuardian is supplied by Sierra Nevada Corporation and the COMINT payload is made by L3Harris Technologies.

SeaGuardian is the maritime version of GA-ASI’s MQ-9B SkyGuardian®. The MQ-9B line of UAS provide industry-leading endurance and interoperability with allied partners. What differentiates SeaGuardian is its advanced maritime Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) capability, which features a multi-mode maritime surface-search radar with Inverse Synthetic Aperture Radar imaging mode, an Automatic Identification System (AIS) receiver, Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) capabilities, and a High-Definition, Full-Motion Video sensor equipped with optical and infrared cameras.