Aviation News – General Atomics Aeronautical Systems and the U.S. Navy have successfully expanded the anti-submarine warfare capability of the MQ-9B SeaGuardian uncrewed aircraft during a recent flight test, strengthening maritime surveillance and undersea threat detection.
The flight test was conducted on December 17 and featured Sonobuoy Dispensing System pods carrying more sonobuoys than in previous trials, effectively doubling the number available onboard. The effort is part of a broader development program between General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI) and the U.S. Navy aimed at enhancing uncrewed maritime patrol and anti-submarine operations.
Sonobuoys are air-deployed naval sensors that enter the ocean to detect and track submarines. During the test, SeaGuardian deployed a mix of AN/SSQ-36 Bathythermal buoys, AN/SSQ-53G DIFAR passive buoys, and AN/SSQ-62F DICASS active buoys. For the first time, Multi-static Active Coherent (MAC) sonobuoys were dispensed from an uncrewed aircraft, allowing wider-area detection with fewer sensors compared with traditional buoy combinations.
