General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI) and Saab are collaborating to demonstrate an Airborne Early Warning and Control (AEW&C) capability on the MQ-9B Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPA) platform.
The demonstration is scheduled to take place in the summer of 2026 at GA-ASI’s Desert Horizon flight operations facility in Southern California. The test will use a GA-ASI MQ-9B equipped with an AEW&C system supplied by Saab.
GA-ASI is pairing Saab’s AEW sensors with the MQ-9B, which is described as the world’s longest-range and highest-endurance RPA. Adding AEW capabilities to the MQ-9B, as announced in June, is intended to enable persistent air surveillance and provide an AEW solution in areas where it is currently unavailable or unaffordable, such as for navy aircraft carriers at sea.
GA-ASI President David R. Alexander said, “Adding AEW&C to the MQ-9B brings a critical new capability to our platform. We want to deliver a persistent AEW&C solution to our global operators that will protect them against sophisticated cruise missiles as well as simple but dangerous drone swarms.”
The AEW solution for MQ-9B is designed to offer critical aloft sensing to defend against a range of threats, including tactical air munitions, guided missiles, drones, and fighter and bomber aircraft. The operational availability for a medium-altitude, long-endurance UAS is noted as the highest of any military aircraft, and as an unmanned platform, its aircrews are not put into harm’s way.
MQ-9B models include the SkyGuardian® and SeaGuardian®, the United Kingdom’s MQ-9B variant known as Protector, and the new MQ-9B STOL (Short Takeoff and Landing) configuration currently under development. The joint AEW offering will cover a wide range of applications, including early detection and warning, long-range detection and tracking, and simultaneous target tracking and flexible combat system integration, all over line-of-sight and SATCOM connectivity.
