Aviation News – General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. is upgrading its MQ-9B drones with long-range standoff weapons, enabling naval and air forces to strike targets from greater distances, a move aimed at strengthening deterrence across vast maritime and air domains.
The company has begun adapting both the MQ-9B SkyGuardian and MQ-9B SeaGuardian to carry a new generation of extended-range precision munitions. The development responds to growing demand from operators, particularly in the Western Pacific, where long transit distances and dispersed threats require aircraft that can remain on station and engage from afar. Engineers are modifying payload capacity, stability and endurance systems to support the heavier and more complex weapons.
The MQ-9B platform already offers high endurance, satellite communications and multi-mission flexibility. Integrating standoff weapons would allow the remotely piloted aircraft to detect, track and engage targets while remaining outside contested air defenses, improving survivability and expanding mission options from maritime patrol to precision strike and deterrence operations.