General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc. (GA-ASI) announced two contracts in support of GA-ASI’s new RPA Training Academy in Grand Forks, North Dakota.

GA-ASI will collaborate with the Aerospace Foundation located at the University of North Dakota (UND) to support UND Aerospace in expanding the use of RPA for commercial applications. This collaboration is expected to create high-technology jobs and establish North Dakota as a leader in the RPA industry. As part of this collaboration, GA-ASI also will expand its current worldwide partnership with CAE, a global leader in the delivery of training for the defence and civil aviation markets.

“GA-ASI is pleased to align with UND Aerospace and CAE to augment our RPA Training Academy’s curriculum with comprehensive training solutions for our international and domestic customers,” said Linden Blue, CEO, GA-ASI. “We look forward to working with UND Aerospace and CAE to meet the growing global demand for RPA instruction.”

UND Aerospace will provide its existing Predator Mission Aircrew Training System (PMATS), a flight simulator that accurately reproduces Predator and Reaper pilot and sensor operator aircrew stations, allowing students to master the art of flying and operating a GA-ASI RPA system.

The mission of the GA-ASI RPA Training Academy is to provide safe, effective and cutting-edge flight training for aircrew operating the company’s aircraft. As an additional benefit, the Training Academy will potentially serve to augment US Air Force and other customer training programmes as well. Training for GA-ASI aircrew begins this summer, followed by international customer training in the fall.