General Atomics MQ-9B is in development for maritime use. A modified MQ-9A was recently used in an anti-submarine warfare demonstration. (A rendering of the MQ-9B from General Atomics)
WASHINGTON – The U.S. Navy and General Atomics in November used sonobuoys dropped from an MQ-9A Block V Reaper to track a simulated submarine target on a U.S. Navy Pacific test range, in what the contractor says is the first time an aerial drone has deployed a self-contained anti-submarine warfare system.
The Reaper deployed a mix of 10 sonobuoys – deployed to measure water conditions and monitor for targets – then received and transmitted the data in real time to a monitoring station at Laguna Flight Operations Facility located at Yuma Proving Ground in Arizona.
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WNU Editor: This is definitely going to be a new mission .... U.S. Reaper Drones a New Mission: Sub Hunting (National Interest).
More News On The US Navy Successfully Tracking A Submarine Using A Modified MQ-9A Reaper Drone
US Navy Tests New Sub-Hunting Drone Technology in California -- Interesting Engineering
General Atomics demos MQ-9’s anti-submarine tracking capability -- Flight Global
