General Atomics breaks ground in El Mirage

General Atomics said this week it formally broke ground on a new hangar in El Mirage, CA, which will be used to test the company's latest remotely piloted aircraft variant, the MQ-9B SkyGuardian.

The new facility, which will be nearly 150,000 square feet, will house about 125 employees, including 30 to 45 new hires, the company said.

"The Royal Air Force (RAF) is acquiring SkyGuardian as part of its Protector RG Mk1 program and is scheduled for first delivery in the early 2020s," General Atomics added. "Belgium chose SkyGuardian for its defense needs and it is also being considered by the Australian Defence Force, who selected GA-ASI to supply a RPA system for Project Air 7003."