MQ-9B as unmanned early warning platform: Saab and General Atomics work on joint UAEW solution

The MQ-9B unmanned aircraft system from General Atomics Aeronautical Systems is to form the basis of a new unmanned airborne early warning (UAEW) solution. It is to be developed jointly with Saab, which has announced the strategic cooperation with the US company.

The partnership combines Saab’s expertise in airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) systems with General Atomics’ technology for unmanned aerial vehicles. General Atomics is responsible for integrating Saab’s airborne early warning (AEW) sensors into the MQ-9B system. The new capability is intended to deliver seamless surveillance and a comprehensive situational picture in the assigned areas of operation.

Saab radar for the US drone manufacturer’s MQ-9B

In future, the American drone maker’s unmanned MQ-9B will thus receive AEW sensors from Sweden. Even the basic model of the drone has a wingspan of 24 metres and distinctive winglets; thanks to generously sized fuel reserves, it achieves an endurance of up to 40 hours.

Operators of the MQ-9B already include the United Kingdom, Belgium, Canada, Poland, Japan, Taiwan and India, as well as the Special Operations Command (SOCOM) of the US Air Force.

The Swedish manufacturer expects the combination with its radar to deliver “continuous surveillance of defined areas and improved situational awareness”.

Cost advantage over crewed early warning aircraft

One aspect has gone unmentioned so far: compared with crewed AEW&C or AWACS aircraft and their many specialised crew stations, this solution is likely to be considerably less costly – even if the sensor range is probably shorter, while the time on station is longer.

General Atomics has therefore been working on this mission area for some time. Concept studies and technical analyses examined whether the MQ-9B, supported by a specialised radar manufacturer, could handle demanding operations such as AEW missions.

At the “Combined Naval Event 2023” in Farnborough, the company then presented a study on the AEW&C capability of the MQ-9B. The concept it showed included IFF and BMC2 capabilities as well as a radar solution with two pods: one radar pod under each wing, plus a central, conformally mounted fuselage container for processing and cooling equipment. This configuration closely resembles the current cooperation with Saab.

General Atomics intends to fly an AEW version of the MQ-9B from 2026. It will be based on the MQ-9B STOL (Short Takeoff and Landing) model, which is still under development.

Saab sees addition to its AEW&C portfolio

Referring to the system presented in Paris, Carl-Johan Bergholm, head of Saab’s Surveillance business area, explains: “We are bringing our exceptional capability to detect and track even hard-to-detect targets into a system tailored to the MQ-9B – fully in line with our customers’ specific requirements.” He adds: “This unmanned medium-altitude AEW solution, which combines the expertise of both companies, has great potential to complement our existing AEW&C portfolio and to offer our customers another state-of-the-art capability.”