GA-ASI and Saab Will Demonstrate AEW&C on MQ-9B in 2026
General Atomics
Airborne Early Warning
Putting Air Dominance Within Reach
With adversary technologies and tactics rapidly advancing, airborne threats are more dangerous than ever before. General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI) is expanding battlespace awareness with a critical new capability: Airborne Early Warning & Control (AEW&C). GA-ASI’s reliable and affordable solution is poised to revolutionize AEW by integrating the mission capability with the world's most proven unmanned aerial systems (UAS): the MQ-9B series of aircraft, SkyGuardian® and SeaGuardian®, as well as MQ-9B Short Takeoff and Landing (STOL).
Whatever the mission demands, MQ-9B AEW provides a reliable, affordable solution that brings air dominance within reach.
- Early detection and warning
- Long-range detection and tracking
- Simultaneous target tracking
- Electronic warfare (EW) capabilities
- Flexible combat system integration
- Line-of-sight and SATCOM command & control
High-Risk Threshold
Airborne early warning has been around for decades. But when integrated with UAS, it unleashes significant advantages and eliminates risk for irreplaceable aircraft crew.
Autonomy & Lean Crewing
GA-ASI is bringing AEW into the 21st century with a new mission profile. The MQ-9B AEW solution provides critical aloft sensing to defend against tactical air munitions, guided missiles, drones, bomber aircraft, and other threats at a fraction of the cost of manned platforms.
Operationalizing MQ-9B AEW also enables a greatly reduced crew. In general, UAS already have lower manpower requirements, and with General Atomics' Quadratix software ecosystem, the AEW mission package offers users the latest advancements in autonomy, machine learning, and artificial intelligence (AI) – all of which translate to new levels of capability and efficiency, including:
- Autonomous operations with humans in the loop
- A streamlined user experience between flight and sensor controls
- Sensor fusion technology allowing a single operator to manage the entire sensor suite
- AI-powered target recognition alerting operators to anomalies or tracks of interest
- And much more…
Increased Operational Availability
Operational availability for medium-altitude, long-endurance UAS is the highest of any military aircraft. MQ-9B AEW extends the reach of existing AEW&C fleets and can safely operate in contested environments – where manned platforms are at greater risk. AEW on MQ-9B gives global forces needing airborne early warning capabilities and without legacy AEW&C platforms, a powerful and affordable means to counter threats.
Unmatched Persistence
MQ-9B provides range and endurance unmatched by any other platform. Integrated with AEW&C, SkyGuardian and SeaGuardian can get closer to an adversary and stay on station longer than comparable aircraft.
Mission Agility
GA-ASI’s MQ-9B STOL transforms AEW into a more expeditionary capability, operating from remote locations at sea or on land, including:
- Naval carrier decks
- Shorter land-based runways
- Unimproved or semi-improved airstrips
At sea or over land, the AEW mission solution on any MQ-9B aircraft will enable early detection and defense in areas where the capability doesn’t exist today – transforming airborne early warning access and affordability for MQ-9B customers worldwide.
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