MQ-9B ISR software integration planned by General Atomics and Belgian companies
NewsJuly 24, 2026
FARNBOROUGH, England. General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Thales Belgium, Octave Intelligence and dotOcean signed a memorandum of understanding to collaborate on software integration and manufacturing activities for MQ-9B SkyGuardian and SeaGuardian intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) operations, General Atomics announced in a statement.
The companies plan to integrate Thales command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance software; Octave’s geospatial visualization tools; and dotOcean’s sensor-data processing technology into General Atomics’ processing, exploitation and dissemination framework, the statement reads. The planned capabilities include a human-machine interface, external interface adapters, automated data exploitation, real-time information sharing and artificial intelligence-supported analysis, the company says.
A demonstration is expected later in 2026, with additional functions potentially included in later demonstrations, according to General Atomics. The work is intended to support maritime and multidomain missions for MQ-9B remotely piloted aircraft operators, including Belgian Defence, which has begun operating the platform alongside the United Kingdom’s Royal Air Force, the statement adds.
