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General Atomics Secures $200M SOCOM Contract for Special Ops UAV Modifications Integration

General Atomics‘ aeronautical systems business has secured a potential $200 million indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract from U.S. Special Operations Command to integrate and test modified medium-altitude long-endurance unmanned aerial vehicles.

GA-ASI will install Special Operations Forces peculiar modifications into the MQ-9 and MQ-1C UAVs, produce aircraft modification kits and conduct analysis and studies to inform future SOF-p improvements, the Department of Defense said Friday.

Work will primarily occur in Poway, California, through March 2024.

USSOCOM will obligate $5 million to GA-ASI using fiscal 2023 research, development, test and evaluation funds.

The MQ-9 Reaper is a remotely piloted aircraft capable of carrying 3,850 pounds of payload at up to 50,000 feet with an endurance of more than 27 hours.

The MQ-1C Gray Eagle is designed to support persistent reconnaissance, surveillance and target acquisition and attack operations.

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