Seen with its defining Seaspray 7500 AESA radar mounted in an underfuselage fairing, the SeaGuardian is the maritime version of the MQ-9B unmanned aircraft now approved for Qatar. (Crown Copyright)
The US government has approved the sale to Qatar of the General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc (GA-ASI) MQ-9B SeaGuardian maritime version of the SkyGuardian unmanned aircraft system (UAS).
Announced by the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) on 26 March, the Foreign Military Sales (FMS) approval covers eight unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) with surface search maritime radars, ground control stations, air-to-surface weapons, and training and support for an estimated USD1.96 billion.
“The proposed sale will improve Qatar's capability to meet current and future threats by providing timely intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance, target acquisition, counter-land, and counter-surface sea capabilities for its security and defence. This capability is a deterrent to regional threats and will primarily be used to strengthen its homeland defence,” the DSCA said of the potential sale, which must now be ratified by Congress.
The MQ-9B is a medium-altitude long-endurance (MALE) unmanned aircraft that in its SeaGuardian maritime guise is equipped with the Leonardo Seaspray 7500 active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar (this undermounted radar can be removed, at which time the SeaGuardian effectively becomes the SkyGuardian).
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