Belgium’s first of four MQ-9B SkyGuardians, made by General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI), has taken its maiden flight in the country.
Prior to the remotely piloted aircraft’s arrival at Belgium’s Florennes Air Base in August, it made its first actual flight in February and completed Acceptance Test Procedures in July at GA-ASI’s facilities in California.
Meanwhile, 18 Belgian Air Force personnel completed initial MQ-9B training at GA-ASI’s Flight Test & Training Center in Grand Forks, North Dakota, and live flight training at its Desert Horizon Flight Operations Facility in El Mirage, California.
“This event ushers in a new era of information dominance for Belgium,” said GA-ASI CEO Linden Blue, highlighting the MQ-9B’s capabilities as a long–endurance, multi-mission intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance aircraft for beyond-line-of-sight operations.
The MQ-9B also features pole-to-pole satellite control and de-icing capabilities, making it suitable for extreme conditions, such as the Arctic.
Meanwhile, the Belgian Air Chief, Major General Geert De Decker, noted that the 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.”
Several other countries operate the SkyGuardian apart from Brussels.
These include Canada, Denmark, Japan, Poland, Taiwan, the US, and the UK, which granted it a Military Type Certificate, making the MQ-9B the first large remotely piloted aircraft able to safely operate in civil airspace without geographic restrictions.
