The U.S. Navy and General Atomics used sonar buoys dropped from an MQ-9A Block V Reaper to track a simulated submarine target last November, Defense News 18 reported. “sonar buoys dropped from an MQ-9A Block V Reaper drone to track a simulated submarine target last November. General Atomics Aeronautical Systems said it was the first time the U.S. military had deployed an anti-submarine warfare system with an unmanned aircraft.
A Reaper drone involved in the test dropped 10 sonobuoys to monitor submarine targets and then transmitted the data instantly back to the Laguna Flight Operations Facility monitoring station at Yuma Weapons Test Range in California, the report said.
The test is part of the development of the MQ-9B SeaGuardian UAV, which is being developed by General Atomics Aeronautical Systems in conjunction with the U.S. Navy’s Naval Air Systems Command. If the Navy can put this operational concept into practice, it could significantly reduce the cost of hunting submarines and unleash larger, more expensive manned submarine platforms, such as the P-8A Poseidon anti-submarine patrol aircraft, as command and execution mission control platforms.
The Reaper UAVs also used General Dynamics’ UYS-505 acoustic processing software to capture submarine targets, which they tracked for up to 180 minutes. The test was so successful that the future MQ-9B UAVs will have four sonobuoy pods on four mounts capable of carrying up to 40 A-size sonobuoys or 80 G-size sonobuoys.
David Alexander, president of General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, said the demonstration was the first of its kind for an airborne ASW weapon, and the successful completion of the test sets the stage for the MQ-9 to develop additional ASW in the future. “We look forward to continuing to work with the U.S. Navy as they explore innovative options for distributed maritime operations for the undersea domain.”
The MQ-9B Sea Guardian UAV is the latest in the Reaper series of UAVs, all versions of which fly at a maximum altitude of All versions of the “Reaper” UAVs have a maximum altitude of 12,192 meters, a maximum average flight speed of 389 kilometers per hour, and an endurance of about 40 hours, with a record endurance of 48.2 hours set last May. The aircraft patrol radius reached a staggering 7,000 kilometers, ideal for patrolling large areas of the sea, can be said to be one of the world’s most advanced maritime drones today, with excellent maritime reconnaissance capabilities.
It is worth noting that this test is part of the development of the MQ-9B Sea Guardian UAS that the U.S. is scheduled to sell to Taiwan.
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