GA-ASI Develops Long-Range Weapons Capabilities for MQ-9B
Press Release + Noah Note
SAN DIEGO – 23 February 2026 – General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI) is developing the addition of long-range standoff weapons to its top-of-the-line MQ-9B SkyGuardian® and SeaGuardian®.
Demand continues from naval and air warfighters for platforms that can hold targets at risk from great ranges, especially over the expanses of air and water in the Western Pacific. That’s why GA-ASI engineers have begun the work of adapting MQ-9B’s payload, stability, range and other features to accommodate the new generation of extended-range precision weapons.
“MQ-9B continues to impress in the field and we keep adding to our global customer list,” said GA-ASI President David R. Alexander. “We want to continue to build value in the aircraft by expanding into more missions. MQ-9B features extraordinary payload capacity, so it only makes sense to add to our mission sets with the ability to carry long-range weapons.”
So far, GA-ASI has performed all the performance analytics and is confident in MQ-9B’s ability to carry long-range weapons over long distances, while providing a measure of persistence and endurance.
Company engineers and others continue to refine the technical aspects of this integration and potential concepts of operation, eyeing weapons such as the Lockheed Martin Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile and Long-Range Anti-Ship Missile, as well as the Kongsberg/Raytheon Joint Strike Missile.
GA-ASI plans to fly at least one of these new weapons as early as 2026.
Hypothetically, a mission profile might look like this: MQ-9Bs could launch from a number of friendly bases in the Western or Southern Pacific, fly to a hold point and loiter there outside a hostile power’s weapons engagement zone. If the order came to release the weapons, the aircraft could launch them in coordination with other U.S. or allied operations.
In addition to the SkyGuardian and SeaGuardian models, MQ-9B also includes the Protector RG Mk1 that is currently being delivered to the United Kingdom’s Royal Air Force (RAF). GA-ASI also has MQ-9B procurement contracts with Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Germany, India, Japan, Poland, Taiwan and the U.S. Air Force in support of the Special Operations Command. MQ-9B has also been featured in various U.S. Navy exercises, including Northern Edge, Integrated Battle Problem, RIMPAC, and Group Sail.
About GA-ASI
General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc., is the world’s foremost builder of Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS). Logging more than 9 million flight hours, the Predator® line of UAS has flown for over 30 years and includes MQ-9A Reaper®, MQ-1C Gray Eagle®, MQ-20 Avenger®, and MQ-9B SkyGuardian®/SeaGuardian®.
The company is dedicated to providing long-endurance, multi-mission solutions that deliver persistent situational awareness and rapid strike.
Noah Note: GA-ASI has long teased the addition of Long-Range Strike munitions to the SkyGuardian platform. It has always been the intention to have JSM at the least; that’s going back as long as I have been in the space. (admittedly not long…)
The added possibility of a LRASM/JASSM equipped SkyGuardian makes a part of me giggle. It's such a funny concept to imagine in my head but, admittedly, it would be a massive leap of lethality for the SkyGuardian to be able to operate as a long-range Maritime Strike platform.
There are already plans for the future CP-8A to be equipped with LRASM down the road. Being able to leverage the persistent capability of the SkyGuardian fleet on top of that as an Anti-Ship platform presents an additional layer to the RCAF's maritime strike toolbox.
The SkyGuardian, for what it is worth, has quickly become a NATO standard platform. It is one of the few platforms that almost all the major NATO nations operate in tandem. To that degree, the SkyGuardian has also become quite the versatile platform in itself, and aims to expand its offerings as a Strike, ASW, and AEW&C platform.
All of which I am hopeful they can pull off. While we can argue the value of platforms like SkyGuardian in a contested battlespace, the RCAF primarily plans to operate this in non-contested environments and in a domestic role. That is where platforms like SkyGuardian can continue to shine.
It only takes around three SkyGuardians on rotation to provide 24hr, persistent coverage of the Northwest Passage—something I learnt from a friend working close to the project. He is very excited to see them coming into service, especially with the addition of parts of the SeaGuardian suite being integrated into ours, such as Leonardo’s SeaSpray radar.
Adding on something like LRASM turns them into a lethal platform that can provide a persistent deterrence to vessels in the far north. It's another layer, and we love layers here. Layers, layers, layers—like onions or something. The RCAF won't let me forget it.