JMSDF and Coast Guard Will Coordinate Results

The General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI) MQ-9B SeaGuardian has been selected to support the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) Medium-Altitude, Long-Endurance (MALE) UAS trials project. Trials will begin in April.

SeaGuardian will be used to review adaptability to support the JMSDF’s manned-unmanned teaming missions and its level of manpower reduction. The government announced that the Japan Coast Guard and JMSDF will be exchanging the data obtained by the MQ-9Bs.

The UAS features a multi-mode maritime surface-search radar with an Inverse Synthetic Aperture Radar (ISAR) imaging mode, an Automatic Identification System (AIS) receiver, and a high-definition full-motion video sensor with optical and infrared cameras. This sensor suite enables real-time detection and identification of surface vessels over thousands of square miles, providing automatic tracking of maritime targets and the correlation of AIS transmitters with radar tracks.