Taiwan negotiates the purchase of four US MQ-9B SeaGuardian naval drones.

According to news published by the Taiwan News website on August 7, 2020, Taiwan negotiates the purchase of four American MQ-9B SeaGuardian maritime drones manufactured by the company General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc. (GA-ASI).
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The SeaGuardian is the naval version of the MQ-9B Predator B. (Picture source GA-ASI)

American company General Atomics Aeronautical Systems has developed a maritime variant of its MQ-9B Predator B, the SeaGuardian. It features the main characteristics of MQ-9A and incorporates many enhancements, all designed to make it a truly multi-mission aircraft and not just a strike drone.

The SeaGuardian system will feature a multi-mode maritime surface search radar with Inverse Synthetic Aperture Radar (ISAR) imaging mode, an Automatic Identification System (AIS) receiver, and High-Definition - Full-Motion Video sensor equipped with optical and infrared cameras. This sensor suite enables real-time detection and identification of surface vessels over thousands of square nautical miles.

On July 7, 2020, General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. has announced that the SeaGuardian will be tested by the Japan Coast Guard (JCG) in September of this year. The purpose of the flights is to validate the wide-area maritime surveillance capabilities of RPAS (Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems) for carrying out JCG's missions, including search and rescue, disaster response, and maritime law enforcement. The flights are expected to run for approximately two months and will include support from the Japan Maritime Self Defense Force (JMSDF) at its Hachinohe base in Aomori Prefecture.

The MQ-9B Predator B is highly modular and is easily configured with a variety of payloads to meet mission requirements. The aircraft is capable of carrying multiple mission payloads and includes a state-of-the art Detect and Avoid (DAA) system including space, weight, and power provisions to enable the retrofitting of an airborne Due Regard Radar (DRR) for operation in non-cooperative airspace.

Predator B has an endurance of over 27 hours, a speed of 240 knots true airspeed, can operate at an altitude of up to 50,000 feet, and has a 3,850 pound (1,746 kg) payload capacity that includes 3,000 pounds (1,361 kg) of external stores.