General Atomics and Saab have flown an airborne early warning radar on an uncrewed MQ-9B, the same aircraft the Royal Air Force operates as Protector, tracking fighter jets and commercial aircraft along with maritime targets at long range during months of testing, according to the companies.
The flights used a Saab LoyalEye radar carried in payload pods on a General Atomics MQ-9B operating from the company’s Desert Horizon facility in southern California, and demonstrated simultaneous tracking of several airborne and maritime targets, including multiple instrumented fighter jets acting as targets.
David Alexander, president of General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, said: “This has been one of the most highly anticipated flight tests we have performed. The level of customer interest in AEW capability on MQ-9B throughout the world is extremely high. It just makes sense.”
Carl-Johan Bergholm, head of Saab’s surveillance business area, said: “This flight test underscores Saab’s commitment to evolving airborne early warning capabilities to meet future operational needs. LoyalEye complements existing capabilities by adding flexibility, extending reach, and enabling a more efficient use of resources in demanding environments.”
Airborne early warning has always meant a large crewed aircraft, because the radar, the operators and the fuel to stay up all demanded size, and the number any air force can afford has fallen with every generation. Britain is buying three Wedgetail aircraft to replace a Sentry fleet that once numbered seven. The Royal Air Force will hold one of the smallest early warning forces of any major air arm.
Putting the radar on an uncrewed aircraft changes the arithmetic of that problem, because an MQ-9B can stay airborne far longer than a crewed jet, costs a fraction as much to buy and operate, and risks nobody if it is lost. What it cannot do is carry the battle management staff who make a Wedgetail more than a big flying radar, so the companies describe the command and control function being performed elsewhere, on the ground, on a ship or aboard an existing crewed aircraft, etc.
Protector entered Royal Air Force service at RAF Waddington this year, replacing Reaper, and ministers confirmed this month that eleven of the sixteen aircraft on order have been delivered. The type is certified to fly in civil airspace. Earlier armed drones were not, and that certification is why Protector can fly over Britain.
General Atomics is also developing a short take-off and landing version of the MQ-9B intended to operate from aircraft carriers, a configuration the Royal Navy has watched closely as it works out what flies from HMS Prince of Wales and HMS Queen Elizabeth alongside the F-35B.
Saab’s existing airborne early warning radars fly on the GlobalEye, based on the Bombardier Global 6000 business jet, which Sweden operates and which has been sold to the United Arab Emirates and ordered by Denmark.
First off, increase the Protector buy to 40 airframes.
Buy the STOL maritime kits and procure AEW and Sea Guardian load outs for RAF and FAA use.
Seems like a no brainer to me….
I would be interested to see the carrier limitations of hauling around the heavy radar pods from a QE Class Carrier.
Reported £30 mill plus per airframe, it’ll be a big buy in the current environment. Would need a minimum of 5 per carrier for aew and 10 for cap
No CAP use Brom, that will be the job for the CCA (if the FAA ever sees one)…
What have you been drinking mate?
What usually happens is they’ll use the existing number of frames, for multiple tasks, leaving too few for the roles and wearing them out. And you want more????!
I agree, though maybe getting to the original 24 is more realistic, a FAA Sqn of 8.
Morning mate, I know, an old man can have his dreams…
24 would be a good step in the right direction, in fact, buying 3 more Poseidon and basing a number of Sea Guardians alongside them to do the patrol grunt work would massively increase our Maritime patrol capabilities.
But you are correct, they will stick to 16, they will then under fund their support and spares inventory and fly the arse out of the small airworthy fleet. Same as mate, same as…