General Atomics’ MQ-9B drone family is undergoing a significant evolution with the unveiling of a new variant designed for Airborne Early Warning and Control (AEW&C) missions. This development, announced in collaboration with Swedish defense technology firm Saab, marks a major leap in the transformation of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) into mission-critical intelligence assets. It also signals the growing momentum behind lower-cost, highly deployable solutions to a traditionally expensive and complex capability area.
The AEW&C-configured MQ-9B made its official debut at the 2025 Paris Air Show, where industry leaders revealed the key specifications and strategic vision behind the new system. Built on the proven SkyGuardian and SeaGuardian platforms, the new model pairs General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc. (GA-ASI)’s rugged drone platform with Saab’s high-performance radar technology—offering a modular, unmanned alternative to crewed AEW&C aircraft like the E-3 Sentry, E-7 Wedgetail, or E-2D Hawkeye.
Saab, widely respected for its GlobalEye AEW&C aircraft, is equipping the drone with a radar package centered around an active electronically scanned array (AESA) built on gallium-nitride technology. This sensor architecture allows the MQ-9B to detect and track fast, low-flying threats—such as cruise missiles, manned fighters, and other UAVs—across wide areas.
Three large radar pods—two mounted under the wings and one on the centerline—form the heart of this system. The drone also retains its nose-mounted electro-optical and infrared camera suite, ensuring it maintains a versatile intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) capability beyond radar scanning.
Carl-Johan Bergholm, head of Saab’s Business Area Surveillance, emphasized the value of unmanned AEW platforms: “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 has excellent potential to complement our existing AEW&C portfolio.”
According to GA-ASI, this system provides 24/7 overwatch at a fraction of the cost of crewed AEW&C aircraft. Its persistent flight time—capable of more than 24 hours in the air—makes it a force multiplier in contested and dispersed operational theaters.
Unlike traditional AEW&C aircraft that require large runways and support infrastructure, the MQ-9B variant will be available in both land-based and short takeoff and landing (STOL) versions. The latter opens up possibilities for use aboard aircraft carriers, big-deck amphibious assault ships, and other vessels without catapult systems.
This could be a game-changer for navies and expeditionary forces seeking to fill the growing AEW&C gap without overreliance on full-sized carriers or fixed bases.
The Royal Navy appears to be one of the first potential customers in General Atomics’ crosshairs. With the planned retirement of the Merlin Crowsnest helicopters in 2029, a gap is forming in the U.K.’s carrier-based AEW&C capabilities. Concept art released just before the Paris Air Show showed an MQ-9B AEW&C operating from the deck of a Queen Elizabeth class carrier.
Given the British Ministry of Defence’s push for hybrid air wings—featuring drones alongside F-35Bs and long-range munitions—the MQ-9B’s new configuration could slot perfectly into this vision. GA-ASI is also marketing the STOL version and other MQ-9 family drones like Mojave and Gambit as potential components of these hybrid air wings.
In fact, Mojave has already proven its ability to take off and land from the HMS Prince of Wales without catapults or arresting gear. While it’s uncertain whether a fully equipped AEW&C MQ-9B would meet the same weight and space constraints, the Royal Navy’s Project Ark Royal is expected to install assisted launch and recovery systems to expand its options. This development could pave the way for heavier drones like the AEW&C MQ-9B to operate from its carriers.
Across the Atlantic, the U.S. Marine Corps has been eyeing an airborne early warning capability for amphibious task forces for years. Their Marine Air Ground Task Force Unmanned Aircraft System Expeditionary (MUX) initiative once called for a VTOL-capable AEW drone. However, due to technological and budgetary hurdles, those ambitions were scaled back.
Instead, the Corps adopted the MQ-9A Reaper as an interim step. But the arrival of the MQ-9B AEW&C—especially if fitted with a STOL package—could reignite the possibility of deploying airborne early warning capabilities from amphibious assault ships like the USS America.
Brig. Gen. James Adams (now Lt. Gen.), speaking in 2018 about the MUX program, said: “We are still missing an airborne early warning capability. And therefore, in the fight of the future, we are going to be tied to the carrier strike group.”
The MQ-9B AEW&C offers a way to break that dependency, extending the Marines’ sensor reach without placing aircrew in harm’s way. Whether supporting island-hopping campaigns in the Pacific or reinforcing expeditionary groups in other theaters, it adds a vital tier of awareness.
Traditional AEW&C platforms like the E-3 Sentry, E-7 Wedgetail, or E-2 Hawkeye are extraordinarily capable—but expensive, complex, and dependent on extensive logistics chains. As a result, they remain exclusive to wealthier militaries.
In contrast, the MQ-9B AEW&C offers a lower-cost, modular, and scalable alternative. While it won’t match the performance or range of larger aircraft, it provides a level of situational awareness previously unavailable to many nations.
For countries already operating the MQ-9 series—such as the U.K., Canada, Poland, Belgium, Japan, Taiwan, and India—adding AEW capabilities via modular upgrades or selective acquisition may be an attractive proposition.
Even the U.S. Air Force, the world’s most well-funded and technologically advanced air force, is facing a reassessment of its AEW&C plans. The Trump administration’s most recent defense budget proposal includes a potential cancellation of E-7 Wedgetail acquisitions—initially seen as a stopgap for the aging E-3 fleet.
In its place, the Pentagon has hinted at acquiring additional E-2D Hawkeyes, jointly operated by services like the Navy and Air Force. While E-2Ds bring advantages like rugged landing gear and austere airfield compatibility, they still have major limitations in range and endurance.
Here’s where the MQ-9B AEW&C might slot in: as a supplementary or stopgap platform that’s more affordable, deployable, and less manpower-intensive. Its persistent endurance makes it ideal for the Air Force’s Agile Combat Employment (ACE) concept, which emphasizes flexibility, dispersion, and resilience.
Even as a less capable alternative to an E-7, the drone’s ability to fly for over 24 hours while feeding targeting data to air and missile defenses makes it an invaluable tool in distributed warfare scenarios.
The potential applications for homeland defense should not be overlooked either. Low-flying cruise missiles and small drones now pose a serious threat to military bases and critical infrastructure, often flying below the radar horizon of ground-based sensors.
An MQ-9B AEW&C variant could patrol U.S. coasts, major cities, or high-value facilities and provide real-time radar coverage. Its mobility allows for flexible repositioning as threats evolve. It could even contribute to the Golden Dome homeland defense initiative, which is receiving tens of billions in funding over the next decade.
As noted in previous analyses, this capability is something the Pentagon has long struggled to acquire affordably. A persistent airborne platform like the MQ-9B could finally meet this requirement without the high operating costs and visibility of traditional AEW platforms.
Of course, no new platform comes without risks. The MQ-9B AEW&C is still in development, with a first flight scheduled for 2026. Integration of the complex radar systems into the existing airframe, ensuring sufficient power and cooling, and proving endurance under operational conditions remain challenges.
There are also concerns about survivability. A drone like this would not have the stealth or self-defense capabilities of higher-end aircraft. It would be vulnerable in contested airspace, particularly in scenarios involving advanced enemy air defenses.
Still, proponents argue that its cost-effectiveness and unmanned nature allow for greater attrition tolerance and faster replacement. Moreover, it can operate effectively in semi-permissive environments or well outside enemy threat rings—using its high-altitude perspective to scan for threats and relay data to other assets.
The MQ-9B AEW&C variant represents a bold new direction in how airborne early warning capabilities can be delivered and deployed. It opens the door for navies, air forces, and marine units around the world to gain access to one of the most sought-after and traditionally exclusive forms of airpower.
Whether based on land, on a carrier deck, or on an amphibious ship, it brings persistent surveillance and command-and-control capabilities to missions where manned aircraft are too expensive, too risky, or simply unavailable.
It’s a prototype. But if the development proceeds as planned and the capabilities live up to the marketing, the AEW&C MQ-9B could be the most important drone innovation since the original Reaper first flew.
