United States close to approving the sale of MQ-9B SeaGuardian naval drones to Taiwan

Navy Recognition
Date: November 2020

MQ-9B SeaGuardian naval drone. (Picture source General Atomics)

According to information released by the International press agency Reuters on November 2, 2020, the United States is closed to approve the sale of MQ-9B SeaGuardian naval drones to Taiwan. In August 2020, Navy Recognition reported that Taiwan is negotiating the purchase of four American MQ-9B SeaGuardian maritime drones manufactured by the company General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc. (GA-ASI).
Follow Navy Recognition on Google News at this link

Citing Reuters, the U.S. State Department could formally notify Congress of the sale later this week, which will include ground stations and training.

The MQ-9B SkyGuardian is the latest variant of the MQ-9 series RPAS (Remotely Piloted Aircraft System) currently operated by the United States, United Kingdom, Italy, France, and soon Spain, the Netherlands and Belgium. MQ-9B adds several key enhancements to the proven MQ-9 series allowing for better performance, lower operating and sustainment costs and access to all classes of airspace.

The MQ-9B flight operations are controlled from a single trailer containing pilot and payload operator consoles. Its architecture provides separation between flight and mission critical functions. Flight critical functions are performed using off-the-shelf avionics and flight computers running GA-ASI's certifiable Design Assurance Level software. The CGCS features a Pro Line Fusion® integrated avionics system from Collins Aerospace, the Abaco FORCE2C flight computer, as well as all the sensors and additional payload control for MQ-9B.

Its Common Operational Picture (COP) and improved display technology offer significantly improved situational awareness and reduced pilot workload. Its intuitive interfaces enhance the decision-making process by helping the pilot identify potentially hazardous situations more quickly and easily. In 2019, the CGCS successfully completed its first end-to-end flight with MQ-9B.
[FULL  STORY]

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

I accept the Privacy Policy

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.