General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI) announced its partnership with Shift5 to integrate the company’s onboard cyber anomaly detection and predictive maintenance capabilities into the MQ-9A Reaper for the United States Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) and Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC). The GA-ASI and Shift5 partnership will assure AFSOC and SOCOM mission readiness and cyber survivability.
“GA-ASI has long maintained a focused commitment to unmanned combat operations and unmatched unmanned aircraft system (UAS) experience, exemplified through our MQ-9A Reaper,” said GA-ASI President David R. Alexander.
“The next logical and immediate extension of our work in enabling the U.S. Air Force is empowering AFSOC and SOCOM with additional resiliency and survivability of the MQ-9A on the battlefield. Shift5 represents a new class of dual-use defense tech business that can successfully operate at speed and scale with us to make an immediate impact for the warfighter,” he added.
The Shift5 Platform reveals critical operational and cybersecurity insights that enable operators to move from data to decisions quickly and confidently. The Shift5 Platform deploys on premises or in the cloud and supports streaming and air-gapped modes for offline and online capability.
“The battlefield of the future will include more remotely piloted, autonomous, and unmanned systems. Central to maintaining advantage in this operating environment is access to real-time data,” said Josh Lospinoso, CEO and co-founder of Shift5.
“Our work with GA-ASI represents one of the most efficient and effective ways that AFSOC and SOCOM can gain access to critical operational and cybersecurity insights, democratize that data, and maintain decision dominance,” he stressed.
Shift5 achieved its first cross-platform Authority to Operate (ATO) Certification from the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) in April 2023, validating the resilience and security of the Shift5 Platform. Most recently, the company announced its contract with the U.S. Army to secure the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) against cyber threats and provide readiness assessments to enable predictive maintenance. It also introduced the GPS Integrity Module, the first known cross-platform solution to automate detection and alerts to combat GPS spoofing risks.
Shift5 is the observability platform for onboard operational technology (OT), enabling smarter, faster decisions through real-time data access, contextual insights, and actionable analytics at the edge for aerospace, rail, and defense. Created by officers who stood up U.S. Army Cyber Command and pioneered modern weapons system cyber assessments, Shift5 defends commercial and military fleets as well as weapon systems against operational failures and OT cybersecurity risks.
Household name aviation companies, U.S. railroads, and fleets within the U.S. military rely on Shift5 for the security, availability, safety, resilience, and reliability of today’s fleets and tomorrow’s next-generation assets.
General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI), an affiliate of General Atomics, is a leading designer and manufacturer of proven, reliable RPA systems, radars, and electro-optic and related mission systems, including the Predator® RPA series and the Lynx® Multi-mode Radar.
With more than eight million flight hours, GA-ASI provides long-endurance, mission-capable aircraft with integrated sensor and data link systems required to deliver persistent situational awareness. The company also produces a variety of sensor control/image analysis software, offers pilot training and support services, and develops meta-material antennas.
