General Atomics
Privately held US defence firm; maker of MQ-9 Reaper and co-winner of the 2026 CCA autonomous fighter contract.
Founded in San Diego in 1955, General Atomics makes military drones including the MQ-9 Reaper and FQ-42A. On 17 June, its autonomous fighter won a US Air Force production contract.
Last refreshed: 1 October 2026 · Appears in 1 active topic
Why did General Atomics beat Boeing and Lockheed for the first robot fighter contract?
Timeline for General Atomics
Mentioned in: Japan requests 17 MQ-9B drones for 2027
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Drones: Industry & DefenceMentioned in: Britain unveils its first sovereign combat drone
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Drones: Industry & DefenceBackground
General Atomics remains a privately held US defence firm whose aeronautics subsidiary, GA-ASI, is best known for the MQ-9 Reaper, a strike and surveillance drone. On 17 June, the US Air Force selected its FQ-42A for funded autonomous combat aircraft production.
Founded in 1955 as a civilian nuclear-research division of General Dynamics, the company was acquired by the Blue family in 1986. GA-ASI was formed in 1992 to develop unmanned aircraft; its GNAT programme led to the Predator and then the MQ-9 Reaper.
The FQ-42A extends that unmanned-aircraft lineage into fighter-class systems designed to operate alongside crewed aircraft. The June award placed General Atomics alongside Anduril as the two production winners, ahead of Boeing, Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman.
What is General Atomics' FQ-42A drone?
Who owns General Atomics?
Why did the Air Force choose General Atomics over Boeing for autonomous fighters?
What drones does General Atomics make?
Written with AI from Lowdown's published reporting. Not individually reviewed by an editor. Updated 1 October 2026. Editorial standards.