MQ-9B drone gets airborne early warning capability

The validation flight took place on 19 May from GA-ASI’s Desert Horizon facility in Southern California using a company-owned aircraft. The flight is described as the first step in a development process expected to take several months, culminating in a full-capability demonstration later this year. The AEW sensor, named LoyalEye, is being provided through a partnership with Saab, announced last year.

GA-ASI President David Alexander said the capability would address a genuine operational gap. “AEW for MQ-9B will offer critical aloft sensing to defend against tactical air munitions, guided missiles, drones, fighter and bomber aircraft, and other threats. Operational availability for a medium-altitude, long-endurance UAS is the highest of any military aircraft, and as an unmanned platform, its aircrews are not put into harm’s way.”

Carl-Johan Bergholm, Senior Vice President and Head of Business Area Surveillance at Saab, said LoyalEye extended the capabilities of manned systems rather than replacing them. “This partnership integrates MQ-9B with LoyalEye, equipping operators with vital information for critical decision-making. It offers persistent surveillance and greater operational flexibility, enhancing situational awareness and boosting mission success.”

The AEW capability is intended to span early detection and warning, long-range detection and tracking, and simultaneous target tracking, operating over both line-of-sight and satellite communications links. MQ-9B variants include the SkyGuardian, SeaGuardian, the UK’s Protector variant, and a short takeoff and landing configuration currently in development for carrier operations.

The UK operates the MQ-9B as Protector, with the RAF having begun receiving the platform to replace its ageing fleet of Reaper aircraft. The addition of an AEW capability to the platform would, if pursued, be a big expansion of what Protector could offer the RAF, potentially providing persistent wide-area air surveillance.