Outstanding Engineer Award for SeaGuardian Lead Engineer

Adam Cooperberg, lead engineer and engineering manager at General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. for the MQ-9B SeaGuardian®, has been congratulated on his Outstanding Engineer Award from the San Diego County Engineering Council (SDCEC). 

Cooperberg received the honor from SDCEC President Debra Kimberling at a ceremony on Feb. 18. 

Cooperberg manages integration and test activities across the MQ-9B product line. Overseeing a diverse engineering team, Mr. Cooperberg led the initial design and deployment of the first SeaGuardian, the most advanced medium altitude, long endurance unmanned aircraft of its kind in the world.

The SeaGuardian was derived from GA-ASI’s MQ-9B SkyGuardian® and integrates a variety of world-class payloads onto the platform, including advanced maritime Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR), diverse Signals Intelligence (SIGINT), Communications Intelligence (COMINT), and sonobuoy monitoring and control. 

Most critically, all the data from these payloads is made available to operators through a cutting-edge combination of a Certifiable Ground Control Station (CGCS) and a mission operator station.

Highlights from 2024 include self-deployment of SeaGuardian across the Pacific, between Hawaii and Southern California to participate in a multi-national military exercise, as well as supporting hundreds of flight hours of testing and international customer operations.

As a testament to the work of Mr. Cooperberg and his team, many new customers are acquiring MQ-9B SeaGuardian, leading to significant domestic and international interest. The platform’s modular design has allowed for rapid production and fielding of subsequent aircraft.

The SDCEC is a nonprofit umbrella organization that serves as a catalyst to bring local San Diego engineering society chapters and engineering educational institutions together to celebrate engineering achievements and promote outreach.

GA-ASI President David R. Alexander commented, “Through Adam’s leadership, these capabilities have been exercised regularly with fielded customers as well as with more than 25 partner nations at various Department of Defense-sponsored exercises, demonstrating historic world firsts, particularly with Manned-Unmanned Teaming (MUM-T), Unmanned-Unmanned Teaming, collaborative Anti-Submarine Warfare, and long-range targeting. What Adam and his team have achieved helps us make a difference all over the world.”