THE UAS REVOLUTION HOW IT STARTED AND WHERE IT'S HEADED

Although these battlefield applications and the aircraft themselves will continue to evolve, what won’t change are the commitments to technical excellence and mission success demonstrated for decades by the visionary people of General Atomics Aeronautical Systems

An idea can be familiar, elegant, and even simple. But that does not make it simple to achieve! Military leaders have prized aerial surveillance for decades, and its value has long been clear in terms of delivering the intelligence needed to answer fundamental questions in battlespace planning: Where are the forces opposing us, in what strength, and with what intentions? From 19th century balloons to the transonic, high-altitude surveillance and intelligence flights of the mid-20th century, commanders and their governments have sought these answers with the best capabilities that technology could offer.

But always, there were limits. Reconnaissance flights over disputed or hostile terrain risked precious human pilots and crews, and if crews were shot down, the vital intelligence they were sent to collect was completely lost. Attempts to reduce this risk led to other compromises as exemplified by high-altitude aircraft that lost the race to out-range enemy anti-aircraft systems, and then later by ever-faster, higher-speed aircraft that required astronomical cost to acquire and operate.

Which led to the idea and the question: What could enable the United States to see what was happening all the time, in real time? By the 1980s, elements in the US government recognised the appeal of unpiloted, long-endurance surveillance aircraft. But although the hopes of these visionaries were simple to articulate effectively nonstop, rich-quality aerial surveillance they required years of dedicated and innovative work to realise.

That is the story of General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI)- a company that met a moment in history at a time when long-cherished ideas about new forms of aerial surveillance had become practically attainable. And it was all thanks to the work of engineers, researchers, specialists, government sponsors, and others whose efforts made the dream real and, in the process, changed the world.