FAA-issued Experimental Certificate achieved by GA-ASI Avenger RPA
NewsMarch 08, 2021
POWAY, Calif. General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc., manufacturer of Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPA) systems, radars, and electro-optic and related mission systems solutions, announced that its company-owned Avenger ER received an FAA-issued Experimental Certificate (EC) enabling the “Extended Range” Avenger to perform expanded operations in the U.S. National Airspace System.
According to the compamy, this is the second Avenger ER to receive an FAA EC. The first Avenger GA-ASI produced, which is owned and operated by the company, received an EC in 2016. GA-ASI officials claim that the company plans to begin flight testing with the Avenger ER for multiple contracted and Internal Research & Development (IRAD) projects.
With avionics based upon the Predator B/MQ-9 Reaper, the jet-powered Avenger is designed to perform high-speed, long-endurance missions over land or sea. The aircraft has a 44-foot long fuselage, a 76-foot wingspan, a payload load of more than 4,000 pounds, is capable of flying at over 400 KTAS, and has an endurance of more than 20 hours.
Avenger ER is designed to support an array of sensors and weapons loads and has been designed to carry an all-weather GA-ASI Lynx Multi-mode Radar, an Electro-optical/Infrared (EO/IR) sensor, Infrared Search and Track System (IRST) and a 2,000-pound Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM).
