Following the initiation of the partnership between General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc. (GA-ASI) and Saab for the development of an Airborne Early Warning (AEW) variant of the MQ-9B, the two companies have announced that the AEW version of the UAS will fly as soon as next year.
In particular, GA-ASI will employ an MQ-9B equipped with the AEW module provided by Saab; the demonstration will take place at GA-ASI’s Desert Horizon flight operations facility in Southern California.
The MQ-9B equipped with EW suite will be offered to ensure persistent aerial surveillance over land or sea and, in particular, it will be proposed for adoption by Navies equipped with flight decks of adequate dimensions for embarked usage.
According to GA-ASI and Saab, the MQ-9B AEW solution will allow crucial altitude detection for defense against tactical air ammunition, guided missiles, drones, fighters, bombers, and other threats, improving situational awareness and ensuring continuous monitoring of designated areas.
In addition, the operational availability for a medium-altitude and long-endurance UAS is the highest among all military aircraft and, as an unmanned platform, its crews are not exposed to dangers.
Source: General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc. (GA-ASI)
Image credit: @Saab
