MQ-9B SeaGuardian for the German Marineflieger

The Budget Committee of the Bundestag, the German Federal Parliament, has approved 30 procurement programs for weapon systems and equipment for the Bundeswehr worth almost 50 billion euros.

Among these programs, the notable addition is the authorization for the purchase of RPAS-MALE (Remotely Piloted Aircraft System-Medium Altitude Long Range) MQ-9B SeaGuardian for the German Navy for long-range maritime reconnaissance and submarine hunting with sonar buoys.

Therefore, the German Navy will be able to rely on the P-8A Poseidon and MQ-9B SeaGuardian for long-range missions and NH90 Sea Tiger helicopters, which have just begun delivery, for short-range missions emanating from land bases.

The Marineflieger follows in the footsteps of the Royal Air Force that plans to use Protector RG Mk 1, the British version of the MQ-9B SkyGuardian, also to support Poseidon MRA 1. Likely, the German integration between these two systems will be even more enhanced considering that the remotely piloted aircraft from General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc. (GA-ASI) will be almost exclusively used for naval aviation tasks.

Characteristics of the MQ-9B SeaGuardian

The MQ-9B SeaGuardian is equipped with a synthetic aperture radar (SAR) Lynx, maritime surveillance multi-role radar SeaVue, Leonardo SAGE750 intelligence information collection system (ESM/ELINT), AIS (Automatic Identification System) and SMCS sonobuoy receiver.

Furthermore, GA-ASI has enhanced its wide-range maritime surveillance system Maritime Wide Area Surveillance (MWAS) with Optix+, collecting information from SeaGuardian sensors and other data sources, facilitating real-time management and orientation of intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) information.

Specifically for the ASW mission, GA-ASI has developed the Sonobuoy Dispenser capable of releasing up to ten sonar buoys of types AN/SSQ-53 and AN/SSQ-62 in the area of interest. Once in the water, they transmit data to the onboard sonar buoy monitoring and control system (SMCS) of the SeaGuardian.

The SDS pod is equipped with an advanced pneumatic ejection system developed, designed, and produced by AEREA in Italy, which also provides the assembly of the internal structure.

GA-ASI itself is conducting load and release tests of weapon systems from the MQ-9B SeaGuardian’s underwing pylons, such as light torpedoes.

Source: Federal Republic of Germany Ministry of Defense

Photo credit: General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc. (GA-ASI)