The Centerline Avionics Bay was purpose-built to provide additional volume, platform infrastructure, and cooling provisions for integrating High Performance Computing (HPC) systems on MQ-9 Block 1 and Block 5 RPA
26 February 2021: GA-ASI developed a new Centerline Avionics Bay (CAB) for MQ-9A Block 5 Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPA) and successfully conducted the first flight. The need for CAB arose as they needed more space for new avionics like Detect and Avoid (DAA) system on the MQ-9A. Apart from this, the new avionics bay will be used to pioneer Artificial Intelligence (AI)/Machine Learning (ML) applications and establish an Ethernet network with the outer wing stations to enable government Open Mission Systems (OMS) protocols for rapid, flexible, and affordable integration of new mission capabilities. These upgrades will further expand an already broad menu of roles for the MQ-9A.
GA-ASI Vice President of Strategic Development J.R. Reid said, “The Centerline Avionics Bay was purpose-built to provide additional volume, platform infrastructure, and cooling provisions for integrating High Performance Computing (HPC) systems on MQ-9 Block 1 and Block 5 RPA. The CAB will enable the MQ-9 to host Government OMS-compliant Autonomy, Machine Learning and eventually, Artificial Intelligence algorithms and applications. In addition to the HPC, we can work with customers on a broad range of capabilities with the additional space we get with the CAB.”
One example of a customer application for the CAB is the Air National Guard’s Ghost Reaper concept, which establishes MQ-9A as a critical, multi-source correlation engine in a contested fight. The capabilities being developed and integrated onto MQ-9A will also become the catalyst for the Joint All-Domain Command and Control (JADC2) construct.
