SeaGuardian drone participates in Northern Edge 2023 exercise
NewsJune 08, 2023
SAN DIEGO, California. An MQ-9B SeaGuardian uncrewed aerial system (UAS) from General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI) took part in the Northern Edge 2023 (NE23) exercise from May 8-19, 2023 under a U.S. Navy contract, according to a company statement. The goal of this training, which took place in the Gulf of Alaska, is to prepare joint forces for Asia-Pacific regional crises, the statement reads.
SeaGuardian, a maritime variant of the MQ-9B SkyGuardian, provides multi-domain intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance, and targeting (ISR&T). Its internal payload can identify and engage surface and subsurface targets in fleet operations, according to GA-ASI.
Throughout NE23, SeaGuardian offered real-time maritime ISR&T data to several IPACOM operations centers, and sensor data was sent to the Joint Fires Network using new DoD technologies, the statement reads. SeaGuardian also utilized a range of operational payloads during the exercise, including Electronic Support Measures (ESM), Communication Intelligence (COMINT), and Automatic Identification System (AIS), the company says.
The SeaGuardian self-deployed from GA-ASI’s Desert Horizon flight operations facility in El Mirage, Calif., to Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, and then self-deployed back to El Mirage after the exercise.
