Progress is underway for the Remotely Piloted Aircraft System (RPAS) project! The first two MQ-9B aircraft have entered production at General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc. (GA-ASI) in San Diego. These airframes will support testing set to begin in 2026.
Canada awarded a contract to GA-ASI for the RPAS project in December 2023, along with an agreement with the U.S. to transfer essential project components. The project will deliver 11 long-range, long-endurance MQ-9B aircraft to provide intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance and conduct precision strikes, plus six ground control stations, weapons, infrastructure, and sustainment.
The remotely piloted aircraft will be based at 14 Wing Greenwood, NS, and 19 Wing Comox, BC, with aircraft operated from Ottawa, ON. Infrastructure construction starts in 2025, and the first RPAS deliveries are expected in 2028.