General Atomics and Saab to flight‑test world’s first uncrewed AEW&C MQ‑9B in 2026

General Atomics and Saab will flight‑test an MQ‑9B SkyGuardian fitted with Saab’s AEW&C radar at GA‑ASI’s Desert Horizon facility in California in 2026, aiming to demonstrate the world’s first uncrewed airborne early warning and control capability. The company‑owned MQ‑9B will conduct target‑tracking and wide‑area surveillance demonstrations.

Discovered 2025-11-16T18:14:23.142367-08:00 | 2025-11-16T18:14:23.142367-08:00

Briefing

What Hype is tracking

The planned 2026 flight is the first public demonstration of an MQ‑9B equipped with Saab’s AEW&C radar, validating uncrewed platforms for airborne early warning and simultaneous target tracking.
The test aligns with near‑term delivery timelines for the MQ‑9B SkyGuardian — for example, Taiwan will receive its first MQ‑9B SkyGuardian UAVs in Q3 2026 — and could influence procurement and force‑structure planning.
The programme is part of a broader industry shift toward unmanned systems assuming command, control and electronic‑warfare roles, alongside General Atomics’ other unmanned initiatives such as its Gambit 6 collaborative combat aircraft and recent USMC tests of the XQ‑58A Valkyrie for EW and autonomous CCA roles.

Reported By

defenseadvancement.com uasvision.com unmannedsystemstechnology.com defenceconnect.com.au asdnews.com nextgendefense.com

Sources Tracked: 19
First Seen: 2025-11-16T18:14:23.142367-08:00
Latest Update: 2025-11-21T00:05:56.835167-08:00
Coverage: Defense

Sources

Hype groups these reports into one evolving story so you can compare coverage without losing the thread.

2025-11-21T00:05:56.835167-08:00

GA‑ASI and Saab to Demonstrate MQ‑9B Airborne Early Warning & Control Capability in 2026 • defenseadvancement.com

2025-11-18T23:09:17.633124-08:00

GA-ASI and Saab Will Demonstrate AEW&C on MQ-9B in 2026 • uasvision.com

2025-11-18T22:31:54.832760-08:00

GA‑ASI and Saab to Demonstrate MQ‑9B AEW&C Capability in 2026 • unmannedsystemstechnology.com

2025-11-18T14:18:17.828478-08:00

General Atomics, Saab to demonstrate AEWC payload on MQ-9B next year • defenceconnect.com.au

2025-11-18T04:59:38.360507-08:00

GA‑ASI and Saab to Demonstrate Airborne Early Warning & Control Capability on MQ‑9B in 2026 • asdnews.com

2025-11-18T03:33:21.424069-08:00

MQ-9B SkyGuardian Adds AEW&C Capability for Airborne Early Warning and Target Tracking • nextgendefense.com

2025-11-18T03:22:34.305297-08:00

General Atomics and Saab to Fly World’s First Uncrewed AEW: MQ‑9B with Saab Radar Set for 2026 Flight • AINonline

2025-11-17T11:37:33.748520-08:00

GA-ASI and Saab to Demonstrate AEW&C Capability on MQ-9B in 2026 • Seapower Magazine

2025-11-17T08:57:54.111548-08:00

GA‑ASI and Saab to Demonstrate AEW&C‑Equipped MQ‑9B at Desert Horizon • UK Defence Journal

2025-11-17T07:33:14.655389-08:00

GA-ASI and Saab Will Test MQ-9B AEW&C Variant in the Summer of 2026 • The Aviationist

2025-11-17T07:32:08.444822-08:00

GA-ASI and Saab to demonstrate AEW&C capability on MQ-9B in mid-2026 • euro-sd.com

2025-11-17T06:14:44.282321-08:00

GA‑ASI and Saab to Demonstrate AEW&C Capability on MQ‑9B in Summer 2026 • Naval News

2025-11-17T03:33:26.141252-08:00

GA‑ASI and Saab to Demonstrate AEW&C Capability on MQ‑9B at Desert Horizon in Summer 2026 • defence-industry.eu

2025-11-17T00:57:56.598684-08:00

(TR) GA‑ASI and Saab Partnership: Airspace Command-and-Control Moves to Unmanned Aircraft • airnewstimes.com

2025-11-16T22:18:14.994838-08:00

General Atomics and Saab to Demonstrate AEW&C on MQ-9B Reaper in Summer 2026 • news.defcros.com

2025-11-16T19:31:01.240270-08:00

GA-ASI and Saab Will Demonstrate AEW&C on MQ-9B in 2026 • newswire.com

2025-11-16T18:35:09.527264-08:00

2025-11-16T18:35:09.527264-08:00

edrmagazine.eu • Paolo Valpolini

GA‑ASI and Saab to Demonstrate AEW&C Capability on MQ‑9B Remotely Piloted Aircraft in 2026

2025-11-16T18:15:25.872875-08:00

GA-ASI and Saab Will Demonstrate AEW&C on MQ-9B in 2026 • ga.com

2025-11-16T18:14:23.142367-08:00

GA‑ASI and Saab to Demonstrate AEW&C Capability on MQ‑9B Remotely Piloted Aircraft in Summer 2026 • ga-asi.com

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