23 Feb 11. General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with International Golden Group (IGG), a leading supplier of integrated defense systems in the Middle East, to offer the Predator® XP UAS to meet the surveillance needs of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Government.
“GA-ASI’s establishment of a working relationship with IGG represents a strategic commitment by both companies to help the UAE strengthen its national security and protect critical infrastructure,” said J. Neal Blue, chairman and CEO, GA-ASI. “IGG’s proven expertise in providing comprehensive defense equipment solutions to the UAE marketplace is a strong complement to GA-ASI’s leadership in Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance [ISR] technologies.”
Mr. Fadel Al Kaabi, CEO, IGG, said, “IGG recognizes that the search for excellence is the key to our success and this drives us to achieve more – not only on behalf of our customers, but also on behalf of our international partners.” Mr. Khalifa Al Baloushi, Deputy CEO, IGG, added, “We are looking forward to expanding in the region and continuously improving systems to meet the requirements of different end users.”
Due to U.S. Government export restrictions, sales of all GA-ASI UAS had been limited to the U.S. Government, NATO, and other select allied nations. However, GA-ASI has recently expanded its aircraft portfolio to offer an export version of its flagship Predator UAS, Predator XP. Offering comparable ISR capabilities as Predator, Predator XP has been licensed by the U.S. Government to be proposed for sale to a broader customer base, including countries in the Middle East and North Africa.