One year after announcing the collaboration, GA-ASI has flown an MQ-9B remotely piloted aircraft with Saab-designed LoyalEye airborne early warning (AEW) pods.
General Atomics Aeronautical Systems and Saab announced the first flight of the MQ-9B remotely piloted aircraft (RPA) equipped with the new airborne early warning (AEW) pods. This milestone follows last year’s announcement between the two companies to jointly develop a persistent and cost-effective unmanned aerial surveillance capability.
The test flight was conducted on May 19, 2026 from GA-ASI’s Desert Horizon flight operations facility in Southern California. The image that accompanies the Press release shows that the plane flew with two capsules, which Saab called LoyalEye, although the third capsule shown earlier in the renderings cannot be immediately detected due to.
GA-ASI says the flight “marked the first step in a development process that is expected to last several months and culminate in a full capability demonstration later this year.” The company uses one of its own aircraft for the test campaign.
He AEW solution developed by Saab and GA-ASI will support a wide range of applications, including early detection and warning, long-range detection and tracking, and simultaneous tracking of multiple targets. The system will operate through both Beyond Line Of Sight (BLOS) connectivity and satellite communication (SATCOM).
“AEW for MQ-9B will provide critical altitude sensors to defend against tactical aerial munitions, guided missiles, drones, fighter and bomber aircraft, and other threats,” said GA-ASI President David R. Alexander. “The operational availability of a medium-altitude, long-endurance UAS is the highest of any military aircraft and, as an unmanned platform, its crews are not in danger.”
“LoyalEye on the MQ-9B delivers critical aerial detection, supporting increased persistence and operational range,” said Carl Johan Bergholm, Senior Vice President and Head of Surveillance Business Area at Saab. “As a complement to manned assets, they are intended to enhance situational awareness and, in combination, enable greater operational range and flexibility.”
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General Atomics Aeronautical Systems and Saab first announced the collaboration for the development of a capsule-based airborne early warning and monitoring (AEW) on June 15, 2025. At that time, the companies stated that the new capability would be operational in 2026 and available for SkyGuardian, SeaGuardian, the UK’s RG1 Protector, and the new MQ-9B STOL (short takeoff and landing).
GA-ASI said the goal was to develop an affordable AEW solution that can be used “both against sophisticated cruise missiles and simple but dangerous drone swarms.” Additionally, the new platform could operate where larger platforms are not viable.
Renderings released by the two companies show the MQ-9B equipped with three specialized pods for the AEW mission. It is understood that two pods, one under each wing, house the radar arrays, while a third pod installed on the centerline would be used for the processing units.
Notably, Saab is also the developer of the AESA Erieye airborne radar system, the main component of the GlobalEye AEW&C aircraft. However, it is unclear if there is a relationship between LoyalEye and Erieye.
In November 2025, the two companies first announced that they would demonstrate AEW capability on the MQ-9B in summer 2026. This is likely a reference to the full capability demonstration mentioned in the latest press release.
The companies did not specify whether they have already received interest from potential clients. However, the UK Ministry of Defense said in May 2025 that the MQ-9 is being considered as a candidate for the Royal Navy’s carrier strike air early warning requirement.
The MQ-9-based AEW capability would replace the Crowsnest airborne early warning system, based on the AW101 helicopter, when it reaches the end of its service life. The drones would be carrier-based, as the Royal Navy has assessed that the MQ-9 can be modified to operate from Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carriers.
