On December 3rd, General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc. (GA-ASI) announced that the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) has selected the MQ-9B SEAGUARDIAN Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPA) for its long-range UAV acquisition program, the Medium-Altitude, Long Endurance (MALE) RPA System Trial Operations Project.

The selection came after a testing campaign that began in May 2023 and was conducted with an example provided by GA-ASI itself. During these trials, the SEAGUARDIAN was employed in a series of missions aimed at evaluating its suitability for maritime patrol operations, currently carried out by manned aircraft, including the P-1 KAWASAKI and the EP-3 ELINT (for electronic surveillance).

The tests were conducted over large areas of the Sea of Japan and included missions lasting more than 24 hours. In the official announcement, GA-ASI also highlighted the integration of its OPTIX+ system onboard the SEAGUARDIAN destined for the JMSDF. This advanced software suite is designed to process and analyze large amounts of data which, in this specific case, will come from the SEAGUARDIAN's sensors and other platforms. Thanks to OPTIX+, all operators in the field will be able to obtain, in real-time, a Common Operational Picture (COP) of the area of interest.

At present, no further details have been disclosed regarding the signing of the contract between JMSDF and GA-ASI, nor information about the number of UAVs planned or their delivery timelines.

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