General Atomics Aeronautical Systems (GA-ASI) is expanding its presence near Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio, with a new 22,000-square-foot innovation facility focused on hardware and software development for US Air Force programmes.
The facility is scheduled to open in spring 2027 and will expand GA-ASI’s existing local footprint by more than seven times. The company expects to initially employ 50 full-time staff at the new site.
The facility will support hardware, software and autonomy development, with capabilities for rapid prototyping, system integration and testing of UAS technologies. It will also include a mission operations centre for remote flight control of GA-ASI aircraft.
The mission operations centre will be used for flight operations, experimentation, training and demonstrations conducted with GA-ASI’s US Air Force and industry partners.
“Growing our footprint in Dayton allows GA-ASI to bring its long-standing UAS and sensing expertise to a region recognised as a premier centre for advanced technology. This expansion will enable closer collaboration with local industry and more frequent interaction with our US Air Force customer,” said Patrick Shortsleeve, Vice President of DoD Strategic Development at GA-ASI.
The new facility will complement GA-ASI’s existing Dayton-area location, which opened in 2014. Its proximity to Wright-Patterson Air Force Base provides access to the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center (AFLCMC) and Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL).
GA-ASI has supplied UAS platforms including the Predator and Reaper to the US Air Force for three decades. In June 2026, the company received a production contract from the US Air Force for the FQ-42A Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA).
The new facility will provide additional infrastructure for the development and testing of hardware, software and autonomous systems supporting these and future US Air Force programmes.
Also Read – GA-ASI demonstrates CCA and F-5 mission-system integration
From an aircraft support perspective, the combination of remote flight operations, software development, system integration and testing creates infrastructure for evaluating mission systems throughout the development and operational lifecycle.
The facility is expected to strengthen GA-ASI’s engineering and testing presence in the Dayton aerospace and defence cluster while providing additional capacity for collaboration with government and industry partners.
