Following its arrival in August at Florennes Air Base, the first of four MQ-9B SkyGuardians® ordered by Belgian Defence from General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI) made its maiden flight in Belgium on September 23.“This event ushers in a new era of information dominance for Belgium,” said GA-ASI CEO Linden Blue. “MQ-9B is the world’s premiere remotely piloted aircraft (RPA) system, delivering intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) in a high-endurance unmanned platform.”The first flight in Belgium follows a busy year of preparation for the aircraft. The RPA completed Acceptance Test Procedures in July at GA-ASI’s test facilities in Southern California, which included the actual <a href="https://www.ga-asi.com/ga-asi-completes-first-flight-of-belgium-s-mq-9b-skyguardian">first flight</a> of the aircraft in February. In parallel, 18 Belgian Air Force personnel completed <a href="https://www.ga-asi.com/belgian-aircrew-completes-mq-9b-training">initial MQ-9B training</a> that took place at GA-ASI’s Flight Test &amp; Training Center in Grand Forks, North Dakota, and live flight training at its Desert Horizon Flight Operations Facility in El Mirage, California.“With the MQ-9B SkyGuardian, Belgium enters a new era of ISR capability. This achievement reflects not only technological progress, but also the strength of our collaboration with General Atomics—built on mutual understanding, trust, and a shared commitment to operational excellence,” said Air Chief, Major General Geert De Decker.Belgium joins the U.K. Royal Air Force (RAF) as the first European countries to take delivery of MQ-9B. MQ-9B recently became the first large RPA to obtain a <a href="https://www.ga-asi.com/uk-certifies-protector-as-first-of-its-kind-remotely-piloted-aircraft">Military Type Certificate</a> (MTC), which was granted by the U.K.’s Military Aviation Authority earlier this year for Protector (the RAF MQ-9B model). MTC certifies MQ-9B’s safe operation in civil airspace without geographic restrictions, including over populous areas. Countries in Europe and throughout the world are choosing MQ-9B for its multi-domain versatility and exceptionally long range and endurance. The platform provides pole-to-pole satellite control and de-icing capabilities to enable missions in the harsh conditions of the Arctic.Other countries that have selected MQ-9B include <a href="https://www.ga-asi.com/government-of-canada-orders-the-mq-9b-skyguardian-rpas-from-ga-asi">Canada</a>, <a href="https://www.ga-asi.com/denmark-buys-four-mq-9b-skyguardians-from-ga-asi">Denmark</a>, <a href="https://www.ga-asi.com/poland-to-acquire-three-mq-9b-skyguardians-from-ga-asi">Poland</a>, Japan, Taiwan, India, and the <a href="https://www.ga-asi.com/afsoc-selects-mq-9b-skyguardian-for-uas-family-of-systems-concept">U.S. Air Force</a> in support of the Special Operations Command. MQ-9B has also been featured in various U.S. Navy exercises, including&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ga-asi.com/ga-asi-seaguardian-supports-northern-edge-2023">Northern Edge</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ga-asi.com/seaguardian-used-by-usn-in-support-of-integrated-battle-problem">Integrated Battle Problem</a>, <a href="https://www.ga-asi.com/ga-asi-s-mq-9b-seaguardian-showcased-at-rimpac-2024">RIMPAC</a>, and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ga-asi.com/mq-9b-seaguardian-featured-in-us-navy-group-sail-exercise">Group Sail</a>.

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Following its arrival in August at Florennes Air Base, the first of four MQ-9B SkyGuardians® ordered by Belgian Defence from General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI) made its maiden flight in Belgium on September 23.

MQ-9B SkyGuardian Flies for First Time in Belgium

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