General Atomics pitches MQ-9B SeaGuardian as answer to US Air Force Reaper shortfall
Berlin, June 11. General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc. (GA-ASI) is proposing its MQ-9B SeaGuardian as both a near-term and long-term solution to the US Air Force’s growing shortage of MQ-9A Reaper drones, despite the service’s interest in eventually fielding a significantly cheaper aircraft for the mission.
Speaking to Aviation Week on the sidelines of the ILA Berlin airshow on June 10, GA-ASI President Dave Alexander said the company intends to offer the larger MQ-9B to replenish the Air Force’s depleted fleet and to compete for the next-generation intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) requirement.
The proposal comes as heavy operational use and combat losses have reduced the number of MQ-9A Reapers available to the Air Force. According to public reports cited by the Congressional Research Service, as many as 42 Reapers may have been lost during US and Israeli operations against Iran since February 28.
Alexander rejected suggestions that the losses undermine the effectiveness of the MQ-9 platform, arguing that the aircraft had been deliberately assigned some of the most dangerous missions, including tracking and striking mobile Iranian targets such as surface-to-air missile launchers.
“They will not put a manned aircraft into these dangerous areas,” Alexander said, noting that the unmanned platform had been used to pursue fleeting targets that repeatedly emerged from and returned to concealed locations.
He pointed to testimony by US Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Kenneth Wilsbach, who described the MQ-9A as the most valuable aircraft employed during the conflict.
“Without the MQ-9, you’re not hitting those mobile targets, so MQ-9 is just saving the day,” Alexander said.
With the Air Force fleet estimated at fewer than 140 aircraft in early May, service leaders are examining options to replace lost Reapers. However, restarting production of the MQ-9A is not straightforward. Alexander said GA-ASI shut down the sole assembly line for the aircraft nearly two years ago after a lack of domestic orders.
The company continues to manufacture the heavier MQ-9B for export customers and has already secured more than 10 contracts covering over 100 aircraft.
“Why would we activate an MQ-9A line unless somebody said, ‘I want to buy a gazillion of them’?” Alexander said, adding that the Air Force’s requirement is limited to replacing aircraft incrementally rather than placing large orders.
As a result, General Atomics is offering the MQ-9B to meet the Air Force’s immediate needs, potentially creating a mixed fleet of MQ-9A and MQ-9B aircraft.
“They’re still considering that, and we’re here to help,” Alexander said.
While Air Force officials have made clear that they do not view the MQ-9 family as the long-term answer for the medium-altitude, long-endurance hunter-killer mission, the service issued a request for information in April seeking a lower-cost unmanned aircraft capable of carrying out ISR tasks.
Several startup companies and nontraditional defence firms have expressed interest in the requirement, but Alexander cautioned against overly optimistic claims regarding production costs.
“What they want is an MQ-9 at one-third of the cost,” he said, warning that some venture capital-backed firms promoting aggressive price targets have yet to manufacture any aircraft.
Despite the Air Force’s search for a cheaper alternative, Alexander said General Atomics plans to compete aggressively for the future requirement using the MQ-9B platform.
“You’ll see this next-generation RFI come out, and we will be all over that,” he said. “We will be on that with a hot production line. It will be an MQ-9.”
