Canada acquired 11 MQ-9Bs and six ground control stations, with the first deliveries expected by 2028. While the aircraft will be based at 14 Wing Greenwood and 19 Wing Comox, the operations will be based in Ottawa.
Canada’s Department of National Defense (DND) has released images of the first two of its MQ-9B SkyGuardian RPAS (Remotely Piloted Aircraft System) aircraft at GA-ASI’s (General Atomics Aeronautical Systems) facilities in San Diego, California. Canada signed a contract to acquire 11 MQ-9Bs and six ground control stations in Dec. 2023.
One image shows only the grey fuselage sitting in the production facility before the final assembly, without wings, electro-optical system, tail and engine, with the Canadian flag hanging above. Another picture captures the wings placed separately on a trolley.
Canada’s contract for 11 MQ-9B Sky Guardians, as per a release by GA-ASI on Dec. 19, 2023, included “associated Certified Ground Control Stations and support equipment.” As mentioned by the DND in the post, the production photographs represent “a key milestone” of the program as the company “prepares to start testing in 2026.”
The first deliveries are expected to begin by 2028. The DND also added that the aircraft will be based at 14 Wing Greenwood, Nova Scotia, and 19 Wing Comox, British Columbia, while the operations will be based in Ottawa, Ontario.
The RPAS project will deliver 11 MQ-9B aircraft, 6 ground control stations, and more! They will be stationed at 14 Wing Greenwood, NS, and 19 Wing Comox, BC, with operations based in Ottawa, ON. First deliveries slated for 2028. 2/2 pic.twitter.com/ttiwAk6fiU
— National Defence (@NationalDefence) January 10, 2025
Induction and infrastructure
According to Skies Magazine, the introduction of the SkyGuardian includes a new ground control center with 160 personnel in Ottawa, which will likely be at the DND’s secure campus in the capitol’s west end. Although not mentioned in the DND post, Skies reports that a forward operating base supporting Canadian Armed Forces missions in the North is also part of the project.
The ground control station will require additional infrastructure, with those costs already included in the overall budget. To operate and handle the drones, Comox is expected to have 25 additional personnel, while Greenwood 55. Following the deliveries in 2028, the personnel, aircraft and support infrastructure are scheduled to be fully operational by 2033.
The report added that the government’s original plan was to have the drones operational by 2025, “but the high-latitude missions in extreme conditions, also requiring other fixed-wing aircraft and satellites,” needed “integration of new components on the MQ-9Bs, including the WESCAM MX-20 electro-optical/infrared sensor.”
The company describes the MQ-9B as the “next generation of RPAS” with “exceptionally long endurance and range, with auto takeoff and landing under SATCOM-only control” and able to operate in “unsegregated airspace using the GA-ASI developed Detect and Avoid system.”
The latter is an important capability, as many of the RPAs currently available have to fly in segregated airspace away from other manned traffic, either civilian or military. The news systems currently being introduced, like the Detect and Avoid of the MQ-9B, allow the unmanned aircraft to fly in “normal” airspace with other traffic.
The Canadian contract
Reports from Dec. 2023 said that the MQ-9B SkyGuardian deal followed a Canadian government plan to invest $1.8 billion to acquire a RPAS, which resulted in the direct commercial sale contract signed with GA-ASI. Canada would obtain other specific components and technologies through a direct FMS (Foreign Military Sales) route from the U.S.
The Dec. 19, 2023 statement from the Canadian DND said the RPAS capability will allow the RCAF (Royal Canadian Air Force) to “monitor Canada’s large territory and long coastline,” while supporting “civilian aid operations such as responding to forest fires and floods.”
“In deployed operations, an RPAS will provide commanders an overview of operational situations with near real-time information,” added the DND. “The system will be capable of detecting, recognizing, identifying, tracking, and engaging targets in complex environments.”
Ultimately, the MQ-9B will “enable Canada to meet its North American Aerospace Defense (NORAD) and NATO missions while increasing interoperability with U.S. and NATO forces.” The most important aspect highlighted by the DND is that an RPAS “reduces risk to personnel involved in combat operations on the ground, as well as aircrew,” as “there is no risk to aircrew life if a remotely piloted aircraft is lost or damaged.”
#MQ9B is revolutionizing missions for global allies.
MQ-9B capabilities have been adopted by esteemed forces such as the Royal Air Force, Indian Navy, Japan Coast Guard, and the Royal Canadian Air Force, its newest user. #UMEX2024
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Learn more: https://t.co/XMkYuxGdCe pic.twitter.com/vblvUSaW3z
— General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc (GA-ASI) (@GenAtomics_ASI) January 23, 2024
The acquisition of the SkyGuardian came amid a broader effort towards recapitalizing the RCAF that involves acquiring 88 new F-35 fighters, nine new CC-330 Husky strategic air tanker and transport planes, 16 new P-8A Poseidon MMA (Multi-Mission Aircraft) and 16 new or upgraded Cormorant helicopter.
Canada’s defense industry and use
Team SkyGuardian Canada, a coalition of Canadian companies like CAE, MDA Ltd., and L3Harris Technologies are working with GA-ASI on the MQ-9B, said the release from GA-ASI in Dec. 2023. Internationally, Canadian content like “sensors, propulsion equipment, and training simulation/systems and services” developed by these companies have been found in many GA-ASI products delivered over the last 30 years, said the company.
For an instance, on Jul. 15, 2024, GA-ASI flew a company-owned MQ-9B SkyGuardian with a PT6-E series model turboprop engine supplied by Pratt & Whitney Canada, which lasted 44 minutes and “demonstrated exemplary handling and acceleration.”
BREAKING: GA-ASI collaborated with Pratt and Whitney Canada to complete the first flight of an MQ-9B SkyGuardian powered by a PT6 engine.
This is an important milestone for MQ-9B customers and missions that require additional power.
Learn more: https://t.co/7Zg2az6nzU pic.twitter.com/bFY1vUGpwq
— General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc (GA-ASI) (@GenAtomics_ASI) July 19, 2024
Interoperable with Canada’s domestic missions and future defense, civil, air and ground assets, the SkyGuardian will support “continental defense missions through NORAD, as well as the Five Eyes Alliance (FVEY) and NATO alliances,” the statement added. This ties in with the broader effort in the Arctic theater, as was reflected with Northrop Grumman’s MQ-4C Triton’s HALE (High-Altitude Long-Endurance) ISR UAV flying 100 miles in the North Pole in a five-hour flight, while remaining within U.S. and Canadian airspace in Sep. 2024.
We’re proud to announce that Canada is acquiring a fleet of #MQ9B SkyGuardian.
Canada joins a growing network of allies & partners in operating a proven & cost-effective remotely piloted aircraft. #TeamSkyGuardian
Read here: https://t.co/9HzDgflHhT pic.twitter.com/WS46JPAZFl
— General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc (GA-ASI) (@GenAtomics_ASI) December 19, 2023
The MQ-9B’s first international deliveries saw the aircraft reaching in 2022 the Royal Air Force, while other contracts were signed with Belgium and the U.S. Air Force for its Special Operations Command. The Japan Coast Guard is currently operating the MQ-9B for maritime operations, while the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) also selected the MQ-9B SkyGuardian for its MALE (Medium-Altitude, Long-Endurance) RPAS Trial Operation Project. The MQ-9B has additionally supported various US Navy exercises this year, including Northern Edge, Integrated Battle Problem and Group Sail.
