Saab is in active talks with several countries over possible use of its forthcoming LoyalEye airborne surveillance radar on General Atomics Aeronautical Systems’ MQ-9B, while flight testing continues on the uncrewed configuration. The prototype LoyalEye-equipped MQ-9 first flew from General Atomics’ Desert Horizon facility in southern California in May, and Saab expects the programme to move through a several-month test and evaluation phase before a fuller demonstration later in 2026.
The work centres on adapting a scaled-down S-band version of Saab’s Erieye radar, used on the GlobalEye airborne early warning and control platform, for a persistent unmanned mission set. Saab views LoyalEye as an extension of its surveillance portfolio rather than a replacement for GlobalEye, which remains the company’s manned flagship. The concept could give the MQ-9B a broader role as a long-endurance sensor aircraft for airborne early warning tasks, rather than only intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance.
Saab and General Atomics began collaborating on the uncrewed medium-altitude AEW concept in June 2025. No customer, contract or order has been disclosed, leaving the programme at the interest and development stage as governments assess whether the MQ-9B pairing fits their surveillance requirements.