MQ-9B drone tracks fighter jets at long range with Saab’s LoyalEye radar

General Atomics Aeronautical Systems (GA-ASI) said an MQ-9B fitted with Saab’s LoyalEye airborne early warning (AEW) radar simultaneously tracked several airborne and maritime targets at long range during flight tests in Southern California. The company announced the results on October 28, 2026.

According to GA-ASI, the airborne targets included multiple instrumented “red” fighter jets [the term for aircraft simulating an adversary -ed. note], as well as several commercial aircraft.

LoyalEye moves from first flight to multi-target tracking

GA-ASI MQ-9B with AEW pods first flight. (Credit: General Atomics)The testing took place over several months from GA-ASI’s Desert Horizon flight operations facility, using a GA-ASI-produced MQ-9B with the LoyalEye radar installed in payload pods. The company did not disclose detection ranges, the number of sorties flown, or the dates of the campaign.

The trials follow the first flight of the MQ-9B with LoyalEye pods on May 19, 2026. At the time, Saab said that the flight opened a test and evaluation phase of several months, which would culminate in a full capability demonstration later in 2026.

“This has been one of the most highly anticipated flight tests we have performed,” said GA-ASI President David R. Alexander, who added that customer interest in AEW on the MQ-9B was high worldwide.

Uncrewed alternative for airborne early warning

GA-ASI said it is discussing unmanned AEW capability on the MQ-9B with several customers, but did not identify any of them or name a launch customer.

The company presents the configuration as a way to extend AEW coverage while reserving crewed AEW aircraft for missions where they are most needed. GA-ASI said battle management command and control could be performed in a distributed fashion from ground stations, ships, or existing crewed AEW aircraft, wherever the supporting infrastructure exists.

The capability is intended for the MQ-9B family, which includes the SkyGuardian and SeaGuardian, the United Kingdom’s Protector, and the MQ-9B short takeoff and landing (STOL) variant GA-ASI is developing for operations from naval aircraft carriers.

Carl-Johan Bergholm, head of Saab’s Surveillance business area, described LoyalEye as a complement to existing capabilities that adds flexibility, extends reach, and allows a more efficient use of resources.The post MQ-9B drone tracks fighter jets at long range with Saab’s LoyalEye radar appeared first on AeroTime.

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