SOUTH CHINA SEA (April 22, 2024) U.S. Sailors assigned to the “Blue Blasters” Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 34 prepare to conduct flight operations aboard the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71), April 22, 2024. Theodore Roosevelt, flagship of Carrier Strike Group Nine, is underway conducting routine operations in the U.S. 7th Fleet area of operations. U.S. 7th Fleet is the U.S. Navy’s largest forward-deployed numbered fleet, and routinely interacts and operates with allies and partners in preserving a free and open Indo-Pacific region. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Apprentice Aaron Haro Gonzalez)

B-1B Lancers with the 9th Expeditionary Bomb Squadron from Dyess Air Force Base, Texas, takeoff for a mission in support of Bomber Task Force Europe at Morón Air Base, Spain, April 21, 2024. Multi-national exercises and operations with Allies and partners demonstrate and strengthen NATO's shared commitment to global security and stability. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Zachary Wright)

U.S. Air Force F-16 Fighting Falcons, assigned to Ohio National Guard's 180th Fighter Wing, stand by on the flightline in preparation for take-off, in Swanton, Ohio, April 22, 2023. The 180FW is the only F-16 fighter wing in the state of Ohio, whose mission is to provide for America; protection of the homeland, effective combat power and defense support to civil authorities, while deploying Airmen, supporting their families and serving in our community. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Airman Camren Ray)

A U.S. Air Force C-5 Galaxy taxis on the flight line at an undisclosed location, U.S. Central Command Area of Responsibility, April 22, 2024. The C-5 is one of the largest aircraft in the world and the largest airlifter in the Air Force inventory. (U.S. Air Force photo)

U.S Air Force F-15E Strike Eagles, pilots and air support personnel, arrive at an undisclosed location within the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility to participate in exercise Desert Flag 2024, hosted by a regional coalition partner, April 18, 2024. Desert Flag provides strategic training with multinational and regional partners to build upon a cohesive fighting force in the defense of the Arabian Peninsula. (U.S. Air Force Photo)

An A-400M Atlas from the German Air Force performs an aerobatic display during the Thunder Over Louisville air show in Louisville, Ky., April 20, 2024. This year’s event featured more than two-dozen military and civilian aircraft, including the Kentucky Air National Guard’s C130J Super Hercules. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Dale Greer)

A U.S. Navy EA-18G Growler from Naval Air Station Whidby Island, Wash., performs an aerobatic display during the Thunder Over Louisville air show in Louisville, Ky., April 20, 2024. This year’s event featured more than two-dozen military and civilian aircraft, including the Kentucky Air National Guard’s C130J Super Hercules. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Dale Greer)

A B-52 Stratofortress from the 307th Bomb Wing at Barksdale Air Force Base, La., performs an aerial demonstration during the Thunder Over Louisville air show in Louisville, Ky., April 20, 2024. This year’s event featured more than two-dozen military and civilian planes, including the Kentucky Air National Guard’s C130J Super Hercules. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Dale Greer)

The U.S. Air Force F-16 Viper Demonstration Team, from Shaw Air Force Base, S.C., performs an aerobatic display during the Thunder Over Louisville air show in Louisville, Ky., April 20, 2024. This year’s event featured more than two-dozen military and civilian aircraft, including the Kentucky Air National Guard’s C130J Super Hercules. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Dale Greer)

U.S. Air Force F-15E Strike Eagle assigned to the 389th Fighter Wing takes off during exercise Double Barrel 24-1 at Gowen Field, Idaho, April 9, 2024. This exercise was conducted to test agile combat employment and readiness capabilities. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Alexandria Byrd)

U.S. Air Force maintenance Airmen assigned to the 389th Fighter Generation Squadron recover an F-15E Strike Eagle during exercise Double Barrel 24-1 at Gowen Field, Idaho, April 9, 2024. This exercise was conducted to test agile combat employment and readiness capabilities. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Alexandria Byrd)

SAN DIEGO – 23 April 2024 – General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI) confirms that its Mojave Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) destroyed static targets in live-fire tests on April 13, 2024, validating the system’s battlefield relevance and recording another milestone for the demonstrator aircraft.

GA-ASI partnered with Dillon Aero to mount two of Dillon’s DAP-6 Gun Pod Systems onto the Mojave aircraft. Mojave performed seven passes across two flights during the demonstration, expending around 10,000 rounds of ammunition as the UAS shredded a variety of targets.

“Seeing our Mojave perform this live-fire demo really emphasizes the versatility of the Mojave UAS and what it can do,” said GA-ASI President David R. Alexander. “Mojave has the ability to act as a sensor, shooter, and sustainer while mitigating threat environments and vulnerabilities and safeguarding human lives.”

Mojave and its short takeoff and landing (STOL) capability has built significant interest in the military and aerospace communities. Mojave is unique: a UAS with significant payload capacity that can perform in areas once considered unsuitable for UAS operations. Its ability to take off and land from unimproved landing sites at short distances as well as operate from aircraft carriers – as it did in November 2023 as part of a demonstration with the United Kingdom’s Royal Navy – is capturing imaginations and changing expectations about how large unmanned systems can be used.

The live-fire demonstration took place at Yuma Proving Ground, Arizona, and was funded via GA-ASI’s internal research and development budget.

The Mojave technical demonstrator shares common systems and components with GA-ASI’s modernized Gray Eagle 25M, effectively providing an expeditionary Gray Eagle STOL capability. In addition to a wing kit option for Gray Eagle, GA-ASI is planning one for the larger MQ-9B aircraft, which includes SkyGuardian® and SeaGuardian® models.

The actual Mojave STOL UAS with multi-mission payloads will be on display in GA-ASI’s booth (#792) at the Army Aviation Mission Solutions Summit in Denver, Colorado, April 24-26, 2024.

About GA-ASI
General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI), an affiliate of General Atomics, is a leading designer and manufacturer of proven, reliable RPA systems, radars, and electro-optic and related mission systems, including the Predator® RPA series and the Lynx® Multi-mode Radar. With more than eight million flight hours, GA-ASI provides long-endurance, mission-capable aircraft with integrated sensor and data link systems required to deliver persistent situational awareness. The company also produces a variety of sensor control/image analysis software, offers pilot training and support services, and develops meta-material antennas.

For more information, visit www.ga-asi.com

Alaska: exercise Red Flag 24 underway
A warm sun, after days of stiff weather with temperatures often below zero, has illuminated the first takeoffs of the Military Air Force aircraft from Eielson airbase in the Red Flag Alaska 24-1 area, which sees Italian and American pilots and specialists engaged until May 3.

Over the next two weeks, Italian and American pilots will therefore have the opportunity to practice in complex air missions, with over a hundred daily departures, characterized by a high level of difficulty, with the presence of Air-to-Air threats, equipped with modern weapons and a well-fed missile range (SAM), fully integrated in a training scenario that allows to make better use of the potential of present entities and replicate real situations.
(Photos courtesy of the Aeronautica Militare)