General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI) features an actual SeaGuardian® Unmanned Aircraft System as part of its display at the Doha International Maritime Defence Exhibition and Conference (DIMDEX). DIMDEX is organized by the Qatar Armed Forces and will be held at the Qatar National Convention Center on March 21-23, 2022. The GA-ASI stand located at H6-121B and SeaGuardian nearby at H3-400. SeaGuardian is being included as part of the GA-ASI display as a result of the strong global and regional interest in the MQ-9B line. SeaGuardian is the maritime version of GA-ASI’s MQ-9B SkyGuardian®. The Qatar government is interested in procuring MQ-9B to support their national security and defense.
“SeaGuardian provides persistent multi-domain situational awareness over land, sea and undersea, which is vital to our partners in the Middle East region,” said GA-ASI Senior Director of Strategic Communications & Marketing C. Mark Brinkley. “SeaGuardian is a critical security tool and GA-ASI is proud to build on our relationship with Qatar by putting the aircraft on display at DIMDEX.”
The MQ-9B line of UAS provide industry-leading endurance and interoperability with allied partners. What differentiates SeaGuardian is its advanced maritime Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) capability, which features a multi-mode maritime surface-search radar with Inverse Synthetic Aperture Radar imaging mode, an Automatic Identification System (AIS) receiver, Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) capabilities, and a High-Definition, Full-Motion Video sensor equipped with optical and infrared cameras. The same SeaGuardian aircraft on display at DIMDEX was used several months ago as part of a five-week demonstrations series with the Royal Air Force.
The flights showcased SeaGuardian’s array of maritime capabilities, including ASW tasking and manned-unmanned teaming with an RAF P-8 aircraft. The UAS flew extensively in UK-controlled airspace, building the foundation for acceptance of unmanned aircraft operating routinely in unsegregated airspace. In addition to the maritime patrol radar, AIS and ASW capabilities, the SeaGuardian includes an Electronic Support Measures (ESM) payload that is integrated into the aircraft’s winglets. The ESM payload provides detection, identification, and geolocation of RF emitters and is valuable for long-range ISR missions.