U.S. Coast Guard Orders Four MQ-9B Drones for Enhanced Surveillance Capabilities
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- InterestingEngineering.com
The U.S. Coast Guard has placed an order for four MQ-9B long-range unmanned aircraft from General Atomics, valued at $247.8 million. These drones, also known as SeaGuardians, feature a 79-foot wingspan and can operate in civilian airspace, boasting a flight endurance of over 30 hours. Equipped with advanced sensors, the MQ-9B is designed for various missions, including search and rescue, law enforcement, and anti-submarine warfare.
This acquisition is significant as the Coast Guard oversees extensive maritime areas, including over 95,000 miles of shoreline and 4.5 million square miles of exclusive economic zone. The MQ-9B systems are expected to enhance the Coast Guard's intelligence collection, threat identification, and reconnaissance capabilities, thereby improving its operational effectiveness in monitoring offshore waters and combating illegal activities.
Looking ahead, the integration of the MQ-9B drones will bolster the Coast Guard's efforts in protecting borders, supporting search and rescue operations, and countering drug trafficking and illegal fishing. No further timeline was disclosed at the time of publication.
Original report
US Coast Guard to add MQ-9B drones with 30-hour flight time to boost surveillance
InterestingEngineering.com · Maria MocerinoThis briefing is an independently written summary based on publicly available reporting and is provided for industry information and news discovery. The original report and source publication are credited and linked where applicable. RobotToday does not claim ownership of third-party source material.
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