Saab, General Atomics to make naval, MUM-T AEW drone

Saab UAEW on General Atomics MQ-9B | Photo: Saab

Sweden’s Saab has announced a ‘strategic cooperation’ partnership with General Atomics to put together a new Airborne Early Warning (AEW) drone, which it says ‘will provide customers with a wider range of options, such as AEW capability from naval warships,’ and which ‘can be used stand-alone or in manned-unmanned teaming,’ according to a statement.

Carl-Johan Bergholm, head of Saab’s business area Surveillance, said in the statement, “We are bringing our exceptional ability to detect and track challenging objects to customers looking to use MQ-9B to meet their specific needs. This unmanned medium-altitude AEW solution, leveraging core competencies of both companies, has excellent potential to complement our existing AEW&C portfolio and provide customers with yet another cutting-edge capability.”

The partnership with the U.S. manufacturer of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) like the Predator and Avenger drones, that became storied over the two decades of the War on Terror, intends to purpose the MQ-9B for the ‘development of an Unmanned Airborne Early Warning (UAEW) solution,’ according to a statement.

The company said ‘General Atomics Aeronautical Systems will integrate Saab’s AEW sensors with their unmanned MQ-9B-platform,’ and ‘the new capability will deliver persistent surveillance and situational awareness by providing continuous monitoring of designated areas.’

The MQ-9B Sky Guardian is a version of its MQ-9 Reaper Unmanned Combat Aerial Vehicle (UCAV), certified for operations in civilian airspace under European flight regulations. The SeaGuardian is a variant of the MQ-9B intended for naval operations, for which General Atomics has developed an Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) package. And finally, the MQ-9B STOL is a Short-Take-Off-and-Landing modification derived from General Atomics’ Mojave drone, that could potentially be operated from short runways on flat-deck warships like aircraft carriers, LHDs (Landing Helicopter Docks), LHAs (Landing Helicopter Assault ships) and newly emerging drone-carrier warships.

Saab said the new ‘unmanned medium-range AEW solution’ would complement its other, manned AEW&C (Airborne Early Warning and Control) systems ‘including GlobalEye.’