Editing General Atomics (section)

==History==
[[File:TrigaReactorCore.jpeg|thumb|The [[TRIGA]] nuclear reactor was one of the first General Atomics projects.]]

General Atomics was founded on July 18, 1955, in [[San Diego]], California, by [[Frederic de Hoffmann]] with assistance from notable physicists [[Edward Teller]] and [[Freeman Dyson]].<ref name="MemoirED">{{cite web |last1=Dyson |first1=Freeman |title=Edward Teller: A Biographical Memoir |url=http://www.nasonline.org/publications/biographical-memoirs/memoir-pdfs/teller-edward.pdf |website=National Academy of Science |access-date=25 April 2019}}</ref> The company was originally part of the General Atomic division of [[General Dynamics]] "for harnessing the power of nuclear technologies".<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.ga.com/about|title=About|website=General Atomics}}</ref>

GA's first offices were in the General Dynamics facility on Hancock Street in San Diego. GA also used a schoolhouse on San Diego's Barnard Street as its temporary headquarters, which it would later "adopt" as part of its Education Outreach program. In 1956, San Diego voters approved the transfer of land to GA for permanent facilities in [[Torrey Pines, San Diego, California|Torrey Pines]], and the [[John Jay Hopkins]] Laboratory for Pure and Applied Science was formally dedicated there on June 25, 1959. The Torrey Pines facility serves as the company's headquarters today.{{Citation needed paragraph|date=April 2024}}

General Atomics's initial projects were the [[TRIGA]] [[nuclear reactor|nuclear research reactor]], which was designed to be safe,<ref name="MemoirED" /><ref name="IAEA_TRIGA">{{Cite web |url=https://ansn.iaea.org/Common/documents/Training/TRIGA%20Reactors%20(Safety%20and%20Technology)/chapter1/characteristics11.htm |title="Introduction to TRIGA Reactors" |publisher=International Atomic Energy Authority |work=IAEA Education and Training - Nuclear Safety and Security |date=April 27, 2005 |access-date=September 21, 2016}}</ref> and [[Project Orion (nuclear propulsion)|Project Orion]].<ref name="Project Orion">{{cite book |title=Propulsive System Specific Impulse. General Atomics GAMD-1293 8 Feb. 1960 |publisher=General Atomics |author=Ross, F.W. |year=1960 |location=San Diego, California, US}}</ref> GA helped develop and run the [[San Diego Supercomputer Center]].<ref name="SuperCompGA">{{cite web |last1=Beck |first1=Alan |title=General Atomics & UCSD end supercomputer center partnership |url=https://www.hpcwire.com/1996/03/22/general-atomics-ucsd-end-supercomputer-center-partnership/ |website=HPC Wire |date=22 March 1996 |access-date=25 April 2019}}</ref>

In 1967, the company was sold to [[Gulf Oil]] and renamed "Gulf General Atomic".{{citation needed |date=March 2014}} It was renamed "General Atomic Company" when [[Royal Dutch Shell]] Group's Scallop Nuclear Inc. became a 50–50 partner in 1973.<ref name="shellgulf" /> When Gulf bought out its partner, it was renamed again to "GA Technologies Incorporated" in 1982.<ref>{{cite web |title=Gulf to Obtain General Atomic |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1981/12/22/business/gulf-to-obtain-general-atomic.html |website=[[The New York Times]]|date=1981-12-22}}</ref><ref name="shellgulf">{{cite web |title=Gulf takes over most of General Atomic |url=https://www.upi.com/Archives/1982/11/01/Gulf-takes-over-most-of-General-Atomic/2962404974800/ |website=[[United Press International]]|date=1982-11-01}}</ref> It was taken over by [[Chevron Corporation|Chevron]] following its merger with Gulf Oil in 1984.{{citation needed|date=March 2014}} In 1986, it was sold to a company owned by [[Neal Blue]] and [[Linden Blue]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Denver Firm to Pay More Than $50 Million : Energy Company to Buy GA Technologies |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1986-08-14-fi-7005-story.html |website=[[Los Angeles Times]]|date=1986-08-14}}</ref>

In 1979, [[Harold Agnew]] was appointed president and CEO of the company.

In 1987, former US Navy Rear Admiral Thomas J. Cassidy Jr. joined the corporation.<ref name="cassidy">{{cite web |title=General Atomics' Cassidy retires from presidency |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/sdut-general-atomics-cassidy-retires-2010mar16-story.html |website=[[Chicago Tribune]]|date=2010-03-16}}</ref> In 1993, [[General Atomics Aeronautical Systems]], Inc. (GA-ASI) was created with Neal Blue as Chairman-CEO and Thomas J. Cassidy as president.{{citation needed|date=March 2014}} In 1994, GA-ASI spun off as an affiliate.<ref>{{Cite web |url= http://www.answers.com/topic/general-atomics |publisher= Answers |title= Profile: General Atomics}}</ref> On March 15, 2010, Rear Adm. Thomas J. Cassidy stepped down as president of GA-ASI's Aircraft Systems Group, staying on as non-executive chairman of the company's management committee. Frank Pace, the executive vice president of Aircraft Systems Group, succeeded Cassidy as President of GA-ASI.<ref>{{Cite web |url= http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-general-atomics16-2010mar16,0,2107627.story |title= Unmanned aircraft pioneer Thomas J. Cassidy Jr. retires |date= March 16, 2010 |newspaper=The Los Angeles Times |access-date= March 16, 2010}}</ref><ref name=cassidy />

General Atomics is also developing a [[Generation IV reactor]] design, the [[Gas Turbine Modular Helium Reactor]] (GT-MHR). In 2010, General Atomics presented a new version of the GT-MHR, the [[Energy Multiplier Module]] (EM2), which uses [[fast neutron reactor|fast neutrons]] and is a [[Gas-cooled fast reactor]].<ref>{{Cite web |url= http://www.ga.com/energy/em2 |publisher= General Atomics |title= EM2 |access-date= October 18, 2010 |archive-date= March 22, 2012 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20120322000705/http://www.ga.com/energy/em2 |url-status= dead }}</ref>

General Atomics, including its affiliate, General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, is San Diego County's largest defense contractor, according to a September 2013 report by the San Diego Military Affairs Council. The top five contractors, ranked by defense-generated revenue in fiscal year 2013, were General Atomics, followed by [[Northrop Grumman]], [[General Dynamics|General Dynamics-NASSCO]], [[BAE Systems]], and [[Science Applications International Corporation|SAIC]]. A separate October 2013 report by the ''[[San Diego Business Journal]]'' ranked contractors by the number of local employees. The top three contractors were General Atomics, Northrop Grumman, and General Dynamics-NASSCO.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Kovatch|first=Gretel C. |title= Report: Defense spending likely to drop |url= http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/sep/26/military-economic-report-sdmac/ |newspaper= The San Diego Union Tribune |date= September 26, 2013}}</ref>

In September 2020, a $7.4&nbsp;billion contract for [[General Atomics MQ-9 Reaper|MQ-9 Reaper]] drones was announced between the [[United States Air Force|U.S. Air Force]] and General Atomics. The contract calls for the delivery of up to 36 aircraft per year.<ref>Adamczyk, Ed (2020). “[https://www.upi.com/Defense-News/2020/09/18/General-Atomics-nets-74B-MQ-9-Reaper-contract-with-US-Air-Force/7611600455794/ General Atomics nets $7.4B MQ-9 Reaper contract with U.S. Air Force.]” UPI. Retrieved September 23, 2020</ref>