MQ-9B SeaGuardian

The MQ-9B SeaGuardian is the maritime surveillance variant of General Atomics' SkyGuardian platform, engineered to meet NATO STANAG 4671 airworthiness requirements and designed for beyond-visual-line-of-sight (BVLOS) operations in unsegregated civilian airspace. Compared to the standard MQ-9 Reaper, the MQ-9B features a redesigned wet wing for increased fuel capacity, a certified detect-and-avoid (DAA) sensor system, and an all-weather multi-mode maritime surface search radar capable of tracking hundreds of surface contacts simultaneously across vast ocean areas. It can carry 2,155 kg of payload across a 40-hour endurance window.

The US Navy operates the MQ-4C Triton for high-altitude maritime ISR, while the MQ-9B fills the medium-altitude armed maritime patrol role. India has approved the purchase of 31 MQ-9B SeaGuardians in a landmark $3.99B deal — the largest US drone export to a non-NATO ally — to monitor Chinese naval activity in the Indian Ocean. Taiwan has also acquired MQ-9Bs for strait surveillance. Australia operates the Triton variant for wide-area maritime domain awareness across the Indo-Pacific, and Japan is procuring the MQ-9B to monitor Chinese naval expansion.