Canada became the latest customer to acquire the MQ-9B SkyGuardian unmanned combat air vehicle (UCAV) from General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc (GA-ASI) on December 19, when it agreed to purchase 11 MQ-9Bs, six ground control stations and related support equipment and services for the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) at a cost of $1.87bn.
The first MQ-9B will be delivered to Canada in 2028, with operations set to be carried out by the RCAF’s 14 Wing at Canadian Forces Base (CFB) Greenwood, Nova Scotia, and 19 Wing at CFB Comox, British Columbia. The UCAV is projected to achieve Full Operational Capability (FOC) by the end of 2033. A new Ground Control Centre for the MQ-9Bs will be established in Ottawa.
In addition to domestic missions – including border protection and humanitarian aid/disaster relief (HA/DR) – the MQ-9Bs will also be deployed in support of overseas military operations. The MQ-9B is expected to operate within Canadian airspace above the Arctic Circle. While beyond-line-of-sight communication between the MQ-9 and GCS is normally via a Ku-band satellite link, the MQ-9Bs will also be capable of utilising the Inmarsat L-band and LAISR communication link.
The MQ-9B features eight wing hardpoints and another on its centreline that allows it to carry around 4,000lb of ordnance. In September 2023, the US State Department approved a potential $313.4m Foreign Military Sale of munitions and other systems for integration with the MQ-9Bs. GA-ASI delivered its first MQ-9B to the RAF in 2022 and it has contracts to deliver examples of the type to Belgian Air Force, Republic of China Air Force (Taiwan) and US Air Force Special Operations Command.
