General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI) achieved a significant milestone by completing full-scale fatigue testing of an MQ-9B Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPA). This test, equivalent to 40,000 operating hours, marks a crucial step in validating the airframe system’s design. It is part of the certification process to the NATO standard STANAG 4671, where the aircraft undergoes testing through three lifetimes, confirming its 40,000-hour airframe lifetime.
The comprehensive fatigue test involves subjecting the assembled airframe to repeated structural loading, simulating the aircraft’s design service.