General Atomics Company Profile, Products, Employees and Ownership

General Atomics is a privately held American defense and energy company founded in San Diego in 1955. Through its subsidiary General Atomics Aeronautical Systems (GA-ASI), based in Poway, California, it builds the MQ-9 Reaper drone, the MQ-1C Gray Eagle and the FQ-42 Vengeance collaborative combat aircraft, and it makes the EMALS electromagnetic catapult used on US Navy carriers.

The company says it has about 14,000 employees, roughly 6,000 of them at Poway. GA-ASI reported in September 2025 that its unmanned aircraft had passed 9 million cumulative flight hours. It also runs the DIII-D fusion facility and builds TRIGA research reactors.

What Does General Atomics Do?

General Atomics works in three broad areas: energy (fission and fusion), electromagnetic systems for defense, and unmanned aircraft with their sensors and ground stations. GA-ASI is the best-known defense unit.

How Many Employees Does General Atomics Have?

The company’s careers page states “approximately 14,000 employees”. Wikipedia gives 15,000 for 2025. The careers page also breaks out headcount for its main sites, and Poway, home of GA-ASI, is the largest.

Who Owns General Atomics?

General Atomics is privately held. Wikipedia records that the company was sold in 1986 to a company owned by Neal Blue and Linden Blue, after a period under Gulf Oil and then Chevron. Neal Blue is chairman and chief executive, and Washington Technology’s 2026 Top 100 listing also describes the company as privately held.

What Are General Atomics’ Main Products?

Most of GA-ASI’s aircraft descend from the Predator, first flown in July 1994 as the RQ-1, according to the company. The Reaper grew out of the Predator B-001 proof-of-concept, which first flew on 2 February 2001, according to Wikipedia.

Which Countries Fly the MQ-9 Reaper and MQ-9B?

Wikipedia says the USAF had more than 300 MQ-9s in May 2021. GA-ASI says MQ-9B deliveries have gone to the Royal Air Force and the Belgian Air Force, with orders from Canada, Denmark, Poland, Japan, Taiwan and India. India signed for 31 aircraft in October 2024, 15 SkyGuardians and 16 SeaGuardians, according to Airforce Technology. For more on the aircraft itself, see our explainer What Is the MQ-9 Reaper?.

What Is the FQ-42 Vengeance?

The FQ-42 is General Atomics’ entry in the Air Force’s Collaborative Combat Aircraft programme, a family of uncrewed jets meant to fly alongside crewed fighters. The Air Force announced production contracts for both the FQ-42 and Anduril’s FQ-44 in June 2026, according to DefenseScoop. The awards cover the first three lots, with at least 150 aircraft planned by the end of the decade. Contract values were not disclosed. Our earlier report covers Anduril’s FQ-44 Fury.

The prototype YFQ-42A first flew on 27 August 2025 and a second flew on 31 October 2025, according to The Aviationist. One YFQ-42A crashed in April 2026, and flight testing has since resumed, according to The War Zone and The Aviationist. GA-ASI president David Alexander said manufacturing was “already well underway” when the production order came.

Defense News reported on 21 September that the aircraft arrived at Creech on 18 September, that General Atomics had finished a new low-observable paint facility for CCA production, and that it was on track to build six aircraft per month. The Air Force’s fiscal 2027 CCA request is $2.37 billion, the report said. The crewed counterpart is covered in our Boeing F-47 guide, and Kratos builds a rival-class drone, the XQ-58 Valkyrie.

What Is General Atomics EMALS and What Happened to It?

The Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System replaces steam catapults with a linear induction motor. Wikipedia says it was first installed on USS Gerald R. Ford, around 2015,. General Atomics also makes the carrier’s Advanced Arresting Gear, and its Electromagnetic Systems group applies the same technology to projectile launch, including the Navy railgun, according to Wikipedia.

On 13 August 2026 President Trump signed a memorandum ordering the Navy to plan a return to steam catapults on USS Doris Miller (CVN-81), with an implementation plan due within two months, according to The Defense Post. Ford and earlier ships keep EMALS. General Atomics, which said it had completed about half of its EMALS work on Doris Miller, warned that “changing course now would introduce significant cost, schedule, and integration risks.” See also our list of advanced warships in 2026.

General Atomics History Timeline

General Atomics FAQ

Who owns General Atomics?

It is privately held. Neal Blue and Linden Blue have owned it since 1986, and Neal Blue is chairman and CEO.

Where is General Atomics headquartered?

In San Diego, California. Its aircraft subsidiary, GA-ASI, is based in Poway, and about 6,000 employees work at the Poway site.

How many employees does General Atomics have?

About 14,000, according to the company’s careers page in 2026. Wikipedia lists 15,000 for 2025.

What does General Atomics make?

Drones such as the MQ-9 Reaper and MQ-1C Gray Eagle, the FQ-42 Vengeance, the EMALS carrier catapult and research reactors.

Is General Atomics the same as GA-ASI?

No. GA-ASI is the aircraft subsidiary; the parent also has energy and electromagnetic systems businesses.

What is the FQ-42 Vengeance?

General Atomics’ uncrewed collaborative combat aircraft for the US Air Force. It entered production in June 2026, and a new aircraft was delivered to Creech Air Force Base on 18 September 2026.

Does General Atomics make the Reaper drone?

Yes, through GA-ASI, which also builds its MQ-9B successor.