General Atomics Aeronautical Systems · Fixed Wing / Persistent ISR / multi-mission RPAS · USA
Open in interactive gallery →See aircraft like this on the live radar →The General Atomics MQ-9B SkyGuardian and its maritime-patrol sibling SeaGuardian form an American medium-altitude long-endurance (MALE) unmanned aerial vehicle family developed by General Atomics Aeronautical Systems (GA-ASI), in production from 2018 to the present. The MQ-9B is the mid-life evolution of the MQ-9 Reaper, rebuilt for civil-airspace certification, longer endurance, expanded weapons options, and modern datalinks. It has become the principal export-market UAV for U.S. allies who need a Reaper-class armed ISR platform under their own national operating standards.
The MQ-9B keeps the basic MQ-9 airframe layout but with deep structural and systems changes. Length is 38 ft (11.6 m) and wingspan is 79 ft (24.0 m), extended from the MQ-9A's 66 ft for additional fuel and aerodynamic efficiency. Maximum take-off weight is 12,500 lb (5,670 kg). Propulsion comes from the upgraded Honeywell TPE331-10YGD turboprop (~950 shp) driving a five-blade quiet propeller, replacing the MQ-9A's four-blade unit. Cruise speed runs around 230 mph (200 KTAS), service ceiling reaches 40,000 ft, and endurance exceeds 40 hours, well beyond the MQ-9A's 27 hours. Maximum payload is roughly 4,750 lb across nine hardpoints plus the internal weapons bay.
Civil-airspace certification is the MQ-9B's defining feature. The aircraft is certified to STANAG 4671 (NATO airworthiness requirements for unmanned aircraft) and is being certified to Federal Aviation Administration and European Union Aviation Safety Agency requirements for unrestricted civil-airspace operations. That matters for export customers who need to ferry, conduct ISR, and run surveillance missions through controlled civil airspace without special waivers. Redundant flight-control systems, automatic take-off and landing, weather radar, and detect-and-avoid sensors set the airframe apart from the MQ-9A.
SkyGuardian is the land-based variant; SeaGuardian adds a maritime mission package built around the Leonardo Seaspray 7500E V2 surface-search radar, a Wescam MX-20HD EO/IR turret tuned for sea-state operations, sonobuoy launchers (up to 80 sonobuoys), and anti-submarine warfare integration. As of 2026 the MQ-9B has been ordered by the United Kingdom (RAF Protector RG.1, 16 on contract), the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (~12 SeaGuardian), Belgium (~4), India (~31 in negotiation, 2024 contract), Australia (~14 selected for the SeaGuardian role), Greece, Morocco, and Taiwan. More than 60 airframes have been delivered or are on order, making the MQ-9B one of the most successful Western UAV exports of the 2020s. The U.S. Air Force has also bought a small number for special operations missions requiring extended endurance.
The General Atomics MQ-9B SkyGuardian is the newer version of the famous MQ-9 Reaper drone. It first entered service in 2018 and is sold to allies of the American military. The MQ-9B has been ordered by Britain, Japan, India, Australia, and Belgium. The SeaGuardian sister version watches the ocean.
The MQ-9B is 38 feet long with a 79-foot wingspan, longer than 2 school buses. One Honeywell TPE331 turboprop engine makes 950 horsepower. Top speed is 230 mph, faster than most race cars. The drone can stay airborne for over 40 hours, much longer than the older MQ-9A's 27 hours.
The MQ-9B is the first big drone certified to fly in normal civilian airspace. It has weather radar, backup flight controls, and a detect-and-avoid system to spot other planes. This lets the MQ-9B fly through Europe, Britain, and other civil airspace without special permission, much like a manned plane.
The British Royal Air Force flies the MQ-9B as the Protector. The MQ-9B can carry weapons like AGM-114 Hellfire missiles plus cameras and radars. The civil-airspace certification makes the MQ-9B attractive to many countries that want a Reaper-class drone they can fly freely at home.
Normal civilian airspace is full of airliners, helicopters, and private planes. The MQ-9B has weather radar, backup flight controls, and a detect-and-avoid system that spots other planes and dodges them. The MQ-9B is also certified to NATO and FAA rules. This means countries can fly it like a manned plane, with no special permission needed.
The MQ-9B has a longer wing (79 feet versus 66 feet), a new 5-blade quiet propeller, and a stronger engine. It can stay airborne for over 40 hours versus 27 for the MQ-9A. The MQ-9B also has weather radar and other gear for flying in civilian airspace. The total package makes the MQ-9B much more useful for daily missions.
The British Royal Air Force calls its MQ-9Bs the Protector. The Protector is replacing older MQ-9A Reapers. Britain plans to buy 16 Protectors in total. The Protector is the first armed drone allowed to fly across Britain in normal airspace, thanks to the MQ-9B's safety features.
It is a deep mid-life evolution. The MQ-9A offers 27-hour endurance, a 66-ft wingspan, four-blade propeller, single-channel datalinks, and no civil-airspace certification. The MQ-9B delivers 40+ hour endurance, a 79-ft wingspan, a five-blade quiet propeller, STANAG 4671 and civil-airspace certification, redundant flight-control systems, weather radar, detect-and-avoid sensors, and automatic take-off and landing. The basic airframe shape carries over, but GA-ASI treats the MQ-9B as the long-term evolution of the Reaper line.
It allows the aircraft to operate in unrestricted civil airspace alongside crewed traffic without special waivers. The MQ-9B is certified to STANAG 4671 (NATO unmanned aircraft airworthiness) and is being certified to FAA and EASA standards. An RAF Protector can therefore be ferried from RAF Waddington to RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus through commercial airways without requiring special airspace activation, a major operational benefit. The MQ-9A needed special airspace activation for any non-segregated flight, which sharply limited mission flexibility for non-U.S. operators.
SeaGuardian carries up to 80 sonobuoys (A-size or G-size), launched from underwing dispensers, with integrated sonobuoy processing that receives acoustic data and provides real-time submarine detection and classification. The aircraft can also carry the Mk 54 lightweight torpedo for direct anti-submarine attack, though the main mission concept is persistent surveillance and cueing for the crewed P-8 Poseidon or the shipboard MH-60R Seahawk to deliver the actual attack. Total endurance with a full sonobuoy load exceeds 30 hours, far beyond typical 10-12 hour P-8 missions.
Typical mission endurance is 40+ hours, well beyond the MQ-9A's 27 hours. Service ceiling is 40,000 ft and cruise speed runs around 230 mph. The endurance gain comes from the larger 79-ft wingspan (vs the MQ-9A's 66 ft), additional internal fuel, the more efficient five-blade quiet propeller, and updated flight-control systems. Some MQ-9B missions have demonstrated 48+ hour single-flight durations during certification testing, exceptional for any aircraft class.
Protector RG.1 is the UK Royal Air Force designation for its MQ-9B SkyGuardian variant. 16 are on order under a programme costing more than £1.0 billion. Initial deliveries began in 2024, with full service entry planned for 2027. The aircraft operates from RAF Waddington with 31 Squadron 'Goldstars' (historically an air-defence squadron) and 13 Squadron, replacing the earlier MQ-9A Reaper in RAF service and giving the RAF a civil-airspace-certified armed UAV that can deploy globally without special airspace coordination. UK weapons options include the Brimstone 3 missile and the Paveway IV bomb.
Per-airframe price runs roughly $35-50M USD depending on customer, configuration, and quantity. A complete system (airframe, ground control station, initial spares, and training) costs $80-120M USD. That is well above the MQ-9A's ~$30M per airframe, reflecting the upgrades for civil-airspace certification and extended endurance. India's 31-airframe procurement totals $3.5B USD, around $113M USD per airframe with full mission systems and weapons. For export customers, the price gap over the MQ-9A is offset by the unrestricted-airspace operating flexibility.