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General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc has announced a partnership with Swedish defence firm Saab to develop an airborne early warning and control capability for its MQ-9B series of remotely piloted aircraft.
The collaboration promises a cost-effective and persistent solution to emerging air threats and marks a major step forward for uncrewed airborne surveillance, with flight testing scheduled for 2026.
The airborne early warning (AEW) system will be integrated into the MQ-9B family encompassing the SkyGuardian, SeaGuardian, the UK’s Protector remotely piloted aircraft, and the upcoming MQ-9B short take-off and landing variant offering enhanced airspace awareness from the sea to the battlefield.
General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc (GA-ASI) president David R Alexander said, “High and low-tech air threats both pose major challenges to global air forces. We’re developing an affordable AEW solution in cooperation with Saab, the leading provider of Airborne Early Warning and Control (AEW&C) systems, that will transform our customers’ operations, whether against sophisticated cruise missiles or low-cost drone swarms. It also extends AEW capability into areas where it currently doesn’t exist, such as from certain naval warships.”
The capability will combine Saab’s world-renowned AEW sensors, used in its manned GlobalEye system with the MQ-9B, one of the world’s longest-range, highest-endurance uncrewed aerial systems. Operating from land or sea, the AEW-configured MQ-9B will offer persistent surveillance, long-range detection and tracking, and seamless integration with wider combat networks via both line of sight and SATCOM links.
Importantly, the system aims to deliver this at a fraction of the cost of traditional manned AEW&C aircraft. It will extend the range and coverage of existing AEW assets and provide smaller air forces or navies – such as Australia’s – with an affordable, scalable means of countering air, missile and drone threats. As an uncrewed platform, it also reduces risk to personnel and offers the highest operational availability of any military aircraft in its class.
Carl-Johan Bergholm, head of Saab’s Surveillance business unit expanded on the comments from his GA-ASI counterpart, saying, “This unmanned medium-altitude AEW solution, leveraging the strengths of both Saab and GA-ASI, has strong potential to complement our existing AEW&C portfolio. It offers another cutting-edge option for customers seeking to enhance situational awareness – whether on land, in the air or at sea.”
The MQ-9B AEW platform will support early warning missions, simultaneous multi-target tracking and integrated command-and-control operations. The capability is designed to operate either as a stand-alone system or as part of a broader manned-unmanned team.
The MQ-9B has already been acquired by the United Kingdom, Belgium, Canada, Poland, Japan, Taiwan, India, and the United States and has been deployed in numerous exercises with the US Navy, including Northern Edge and RIMPAC.
With Saab’s decades-long legacy in AEW&C, including delivery to NATO and multiple international partners, this partnership brings together two leading-edge technologies in a way that could reshape how modern air forces manage threats in contested airspace.
