General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI), Thales Belgium, Octave Intelligence plc (including Luciad NV), and dotOcean have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) at the Farnborough International Airshow 2026 to collaborate on integration and manufacturing activities for multi-domain Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) systems supporting GA-ASI’s MQ-9B SkyGuardian® and SeaGuardian® remotely piloted aircraft.
The collaboration aims to enhance ISR capabilities through advanced software integration, data processing, geospatial visualisation, and human-machine interfaces, supporting future MQ-9B operations for international customers, particularly across Europe.
Under the agreement, GA-ASI will work with Thales Belgium, Octave, and dotOcean to develop technologies that strengthen intelligence centres supporting MQ-9B operations. The collaboration will explore integrating Thales Belgium’s C4ISR software for real-time information sharing and decision-making, Octave’s Alto portfolio for high-performance geospatial visualisation, and dotOcean’s data processing capabilities to transform sensor data into actionable intelligence for AI-enabled systems and automation.
H.E. Theo Francken, Belgian Minister of Defence, said: “This collaboration perfectly demonstrates why investing in Defence also means investing in our own economy and technological knowledge. Companies such as Thales Belgium, Octave and dotOcean bring their high-quality expertise on board one of the most advanced unmanned systems in the world. In this way, we not only strengthen our military capabilities, but also create opportunities for our companies, our engineers, and our talent. The MQ-9B SkyGuardian is therefore not only an important capability for Defence, but also a lever for innovation and a strong defence industry.”
“We’re excited to be working with these important aerospace businesses in Belgium,” said Linden Blue, CEO of GA-ASI. “We look forward to working with Thales, Octave, and dotOcean to help us develop software for our intelligence centre that will be rooted in GA-ASI’s situational awareness capability. We expect the human-machine interface, external interface adaptors, and additional automated data exploitation to come from Belgian industry.”
For MQ-9B operators, GA-ASI provides an end-to-end ISR operations framework covering Processing, Exploitation and Dissemination (PED). The new collaboration is expected to improve data-driven mission capabilities by combining advanced C4ISR systems, AI-enabled analysis, and automated intelligence processing.
“Octave is proud to partner with GA-ASI, Thales, and dotOcean to advance innovation for Belgian Defence and beyond,” stated Maximilian Weber, Vice President Europe, Octave. “The integration of Octave Alto, relied on by defence agencies around the world, will bring advanced visualisation and real-time situational analysis capabilities to support fast, coordinated decision-making.”
“dotOcean is looking forward to collaborating with GA-ASI, Thales and Octave to enable mission automation by generating actionable data from on-board sensors. We are eager to support maritime and multi-domain missions for international defence clients,” added Koen Geirnaert, CEO of dotOcean.
Belgian Defence has joined the UK Royal Air Force as one of the first European operators of the MQ-9B platform. The companies expect the collaboration to support the growing demand for advanced unmanned ISR solutions and strengthen Europe’s defence technology ecosystem.
