General Atomics MQ-9 Reaper UAVs for Belgian and Australian armies.

As recalled by DefenseWorld.net, General Atomics beat Israel Aerospace Industries in two huge deals worth an approximate $1.2 billion in unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) sales to Australia and Belgium.

MQ-9 Reaper UAV (Picture source: General Atomics)

Belgium decided to buy four General Atomics MQ-9B SkyGuardian UAVs for an approximate $230 million. Australia also selected an still unknown variant of the Reaper to provide the Armed Remotely Piloted Aircraft System under Project Air 7003 for its defence forces for an approximate $1 billion. These contracts which last for at least 10 years include accompanying services

Besides the large amounts of money in these deals, these two contracts represent a foothold for future deals in the same countries, because a country that buys UAVs from a certain company will probably later buy more services, extensions, upgrades, or completely other products from it with an interface with the UAV systems," Globes reported quoting unnamed defense source as saying Sunday. "IAI went into these proceedings in both countries as an underdog, especially in Australia, where the authorities prefer General Atomics and didn't want to hold a competitive proceeding at all.

Defense sources said that despite IAI's efforts, in every proceeding held in recent years, the Australian Ministry of Defense preferred UAVs offered by the US manufacturer, while rejecting IAI's request for holding a competitive proceeding. Up until two years ago, IAI leased Heron UAVs to Australia, which operated them, among other things in its share of the fighting in Afghanistan.