[ad_1]
ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates — Multiyear negotiations to procure the MQ-9B SeaGuardian drone for the United Arab Emirates are in an advanced stage, executives from manufacturer General Atomics said in an interview here at the IDEX arms show .
David Alexander, president of General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, said his company’s relationship with the Gulf state has been ongoing. “We have been working closely with the UAE Air Force for about a decade, primarily through the MQ-1 program and the UAE has shown interest in acquiring some of our other platforms, which has enabled us to maintain a great and enduring relationship with them,” he said.
However, for MQ-1 or MQ-9B Getting export approval and customs clearance can be a lengthy process. Alexander added: “The Emiratis can’t wait forever for the US to make export policy decisions – so in the meantime, they do buy from China, Turkey and other partners. … It’s always been that way. Does it bother us? ?I mean, it’s competition, but we’re in no way afraid of competition.”
The UAE withdrew its letter of acceptance two years ago after the Biden administration shelved a deal after the Trump administration approved a deal to sell precision strike weapons, F-35 and MQ-9B drones .
Regarding how the drone talks are going, the company is clear that they never stopped from the beginning.
General Atomics spokesman C. Mark Brinkley said: “Negotiations with the UAE for the procurement of MQ-9B SeaGuardians are ongoing and showing signs of continued healthy progress.”
Having effective and continuous maritime domain awareness is vital to the security of the UAE given the high volume of ship traffic passing through the Gulf states.
General Atomic officials hope to push this year to integrate its drones with a low-Earth orbit (LEO) satellite communications system, potentially lowering operating costs and reducing the hardware footprint. Recently, General Atomics conducted three successful test flights of the MQ-9A equipped with the LEO relay system in the evaluation configuration.
While the company did not disclose the identity of the LEO supplier, it is believed to be Space X’s Starlink.
“The next stage [for this] Pathways will be provided to integrate the system into the existing Reaper fleet for customers to use in operational capacity,” Brinkley said, adding that company officials have already pitched the option to multiple customers.
Elisabeth Gosselin-Malo is Defense News’ Europe correspondent. She covers a wide range of topics related to military procurement and international security, and specializes in reporting on the aviation industry. She is based in Milan, Italy.
[ad_2]
Source link