SAN DIEGO. General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc (GA-ASI), a leading manufacturer of Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPA) systems, radars, and electro-optic and related mission systems solutions, has been honoured by the American Institute of Aeronautics and astronautics (AIAA), a company press statement said June 30.
The wards with local awards were given for outstanding aerospace contributions and achievements. The San Diego Section is dedicated to promoting awareness, activism, and access throughout the aerospace community.
In the category of Outstanding Achievement by an Aerospace Organisation, GA-ASI was recognised for the development of its Due Regard Radar (DRR), an air-to-air radar produced under company funding to enable RPA systems to fly safely in domestic and international airspace.
The award is presented to companies that have advanced the state-of-the-art of aerospace engineering or have utilised significant technical and/or managerial innovations in a project that has resulted in exceptional accomplishments.
DRR has become a critical component of GA-ASI’s airborne Detect and Avoid (DAA) architecture for its Predator B RPA. The company is partnered with the FAA, NASA, and several industry partners to mature a DAA capability onboard NASA’s Ikhana RPA. DRR will be used to track cooperative as well as non-cooperative aircraft.
“GA-ASI is honoured to receive this award, which is a testament to our DRR team members who have worked tirelessly since the programme began in 2011 to mature this capability,” said Claudio Pereida, Executive Vice President, Mission Systems, GA-ASI.
In the category of Outstanding Contribution to Aerospace Engineering, GA-ASI’s Aircraft Systems Technical Director of Advanced Programmes, Mike Atwood, was recognised for his achievements which have proved instrumental in advancing the company’s aircraft design and development. The award is presented to candidates who have made significant contributions to the technical direction of engineering projects, developing new products, obtaining patents, pioneering new technologies and conducting fundamental research.
“Mike Atwood is an invaluable and highly innovative developer of next-generation advanced technologies and is a key player in GA-ASI’s overall success,” said David R Alexander, President, Aircraft Systems, GA-ASI.
Mr Atwood and his team are currently developing the next generation of airborne recoverable Small Unmanned Air Systems (SUAS) to leverage distributed swarm technologies. He previously was responsible for designing low observable aircraft in support of the US Navy’s Unmanned Carrier Launched Airborne Surveillance and Strike (UCLASS) programme.
Lastly, in the category of Outstanding Corporate Contribution to the AIAA San Diego Section, the General Atomics Sciences Education Foundation was recognised for awarding AIAA a generous grant in support of its active programme to enhance young people’s experiences with Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM).
