- Two Aerospace Leaders Are Bringing Airborne Early Warning and Control to UAS
Following their announcement to bring Airborne Early Warning and Control (AEW&C) capability to the world’s leading Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPA) platform, General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI) and Saab will now team up to demonstrate the capability in the summer of 2026. The demo will be conducted at GA-ASI’s Desert Horizon flight operations facility in Southern California using a GA-ASI MQ-9B equipped with AEW&C supplied by Saab.
In partnership with Saab, a leading company in AEW&C systems, GA-ASI is pairing Saab’s AEW sensors with the world’s longest-range, highest-endurance RPA, the MQ-9B. At sea or over land, adding AEW capabilities on MQ-9B enables persistent air surveillance and enables AEW in areas of the world where it doesn’t currently exist or is unaffordable, such as for navy aircraft carriers at sea.
“Adding AEW&C to the MQ-9B brings a critical new capability to our platform,” said GA-ASI President David R. Alexander. “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.”
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 in development.
The AEW solution 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.
GA-ASI and Saab’s AEW offering will span 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.
About GA-ASI
General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc., is the world’s foremost builder of Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS). Logging more than 9 million flight hours, the Predator® line of UAS has flown for over 30 years and includes MQ-9A Reaper®, MQ-1C Gray Eagle®, MQ-20 Avenger®, and MQ-9B SkyGuardian®/SeaGuardian®. The company is dedicated to providing long-endurance, multi-mission solutions that deliver persistent situational awareness and rapid strike.
For more information, visit www.ga-asi.com.
Avenger, EagleEye, Gray Eagle, Lynx, Predator, Reaper, SeaGuardian, and SkyGuardian are trademarks of General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc., registered in the United States and/or other countries.
Contact Information
GA-ASI Media Relations
asi-mediarelations@ga-asi.com
(858) 524-8101
SOURCE: General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc.