The MQ-9B, in the midst of the adaptation to the ASW role, was shown with four Sonobuoy Dispensing System pods, after being previously photographed with only two pods.
An MQ-9B Sea Guardian Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPA) has been shown with four Sonobuoy Dispensing System (SDS) pods on May 27, 2026, amid the aircraft’s conversion for an Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) role. While the SeaGuardian has been tested for the Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) role for a few years now, almost all renditions and images so far have shown it with only two SDS pods.
GA-ASI had hinted at the use of all the four pods in a December 2025 test, which saw the SeaGuardian become the first unmanned system to drop Multi-static Active Coherent (MAC) sonobuoys. However, the officially released image showed the RPA with only two pods, although it is unclear if the picture in the press release was captured during that test.
The latest frontal image of the SeaGuardian, showing the four pods facing diagonally, was released on the occasion of the Canada Security (CANSEC) 2026 exhibition, which was held from May 27 to 28. The RPA is also carrying another pod on the centerline, which can host either a Leonardo Seaspray 7500E V2 or a Raytheon SeaVue maritime search multi-mode radar.
MQ-9B SeaGuardian® advanced intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance #UAS with an anti-submarine warfare system enables persistent submarine tracking while simultaneously maintaining maritime domain awareness for U.S. and international forces. https://t.co/C6VlvcwDA3… pic.twitter.com/NFhrmabYtD
— General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc (GA-ASI) (@GenAtomics_ASI) May 27, 2026
Renderings and images with the radar pod on the centerline have appeared with only two SDS pods. The MQ-9B appears thus able to haul the payload of five pods, however it might have to sacrifice range and endurance. The SeaGuardian can fly for anywhere between 24 to 40 hours, depending on the payload.
SDS pods
According to GA-ASI’s product catalogue page on the SDS and the Sonobuoy Monitoring and Control System (SMCS), each SDS can carry up to 10 U.S. Navy standard ‘A’ size sonobuoys or 20 ‘G’ size sonobuoys. This gives the drone the capability to carry 40 ‘A’ size or 80 ‘G’ size sonobuoys, depending on the number of SDS pods it would be lugging.
An empty SDS weighs 132 kg, and 340 kg after being packed with sonobuoys.
In the December 2025 test, GA-ASI said that the pods installed on the aircraft were “more than previously tested, doubling the number of sonobuoys available.” This suggested the MQ-9B SeaGuardian in that test carried four SDS pods, however, as we mentioned, the accompanying image showed the aircraft in a hangar with only two SDS pods.
That trial saw the SeaGuardian become the first UAV to test Mutli-Static Active Coherent (MAC) sonobuoys, with the AN/SSQ-125 underwater sensors. Including a January 2025 trial, GA-ASI has also conducted tests with the AN/SSQ-36 Bathythermal, the passive AN/SSQ-53G Directional Frequency Analysis and Recording (DIFAR) and the active AN/SSQ-62F Directional Command Activated Sonobuoy System (DICASS) sonobuoys from the MQ-9B’s SDS.
MQ-9B ASW
The press release from GA-ASI highlighted the effective combination of SDS and the Sonobuoy Monitoring and Control System (SMCS) on the MQ-9B SeaGuardian, while also offering the standard maritime surveillance, reconnaissance and battlespace awareness capability.
#SeaGuardian‘s maritime capabilities don’t stop at the surface. It has demonstrated the ability to release sonobuoys and track submarines while integrated with naval units. #UAS #ASW
Find out more: https://t.co/ghb2ABJ6et pic.twitter.com/TAjZJM54tr
— General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc (GA-ASI) (@GenAtomics_ASI) December 21, 2022
“When combined with MQ-9B SeaGuardian’s proven multi-domain sensors, the aircraft provides seamless coverage of the complete maritime environment, from the air to the surface, and now to the depths of the ocean,” says the company. “SeaGuardian with the GA-ASI ASW System enables persistent submarine tracking while simultaneously maintaining maritime battlespace awareness. SDS pods and SMCS empower naval forces operating SeaGuardian to continuously guard crucial waterways, shipping lanes, chokepoints, and allied forces against the ever-increasing threat of submarines—all with a significant reduction in personnel and equipment, and at greatly reduced cost and risk compared to manned alternatives.”
Equipped with a GA-ASI Sonobuoy Dispensing Pod & a Raytheon SeaVue radar, #MQ9B SeaGuardian took to the @USNavy’s W-291 test range in Southern California to demonstrate its ability to launch submarine-detecting sonobuoys & track underwater targets.
More: https://t.co/h6BQyWrYGt pic.twitter.com/zJoi1SrlPe
— General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc (GA-ASI) (@GenAtomics_ASI) March 20, 2024
Future
This comes as GA-ASI and Saab announced last week the first flight of an MQ-9B with Airborne Early Warning and Control (AEW&C) pods developed by the latter. The evolution of the MQ-9B into an ASW and AEW&C platform also comes as the drone showed its vulnerability in conventional warfare, with nearly 30 lost to Iranian air-defense and surface-strike fires, according to Air and Space Forces Magazine.
ASF also quoted U.S. Air Force chief Gen. Kenneth Wilsbach who, in a May 20 appearance before the House Armed Services Committee (HASC), still celebrated the MQ-9 as the “most valuable player” in Operation Epic Fury. Wilsbach pointed to its unmanned operation and ability to loiter far beyond the limitations of human endurance that nevertheless helped strike many Iranian ground targets and surface-to-air missile systems.
ASW and AEW&C moreover are even less riskier roles, with the aircraft operating at even greater distances from an enemy’s weapons engagement zone, over friendly territory, and possibly not-so-distant from friendly assets. A single MQ-9 costs anywhere between $16-30 million, depending on the variant, and how it is kitted out.
A single MQ-9B SeaGuardian, acting in concert with P-8A Poseidon ASW maritime patrol aircraft and MH-60R naval helicopters, can significantly widen and prolong a search area unburdening the manned platforms, while also offering standard optical maritime surveillance.
