SeaGuardian drone selected for Japan's long-endurance UAV program
NewsDecember 04, 2024
SAN DIEGO, California. The Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) has chosen General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc.'s (GA-ASI) SeaGuardian remotely piloted aircraft systems for its Long Endurance Unmanned Aerial Vehicle program, the company announced in a statement.
The selection follows the JMSDF’s use of the SeaGuardian since May 2023 during its Medium-Altitude, Long Endurance (MALE) RPA System Trial Operations Project, the statement reads. The SeaGuardian platform, which the company says can fly for 24 hours or more, was evaluated for its ability to perform missions traditionally handled by manned aircraft.
GA-ASI uses the Optix+ software suite, which integrates data from SeaGuardian’s sensors and other sources into a comprehensive operational picture for the purpose of enabling real-time intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) tasking and the detection of anomalous activities, according to the statement.
The SeaGuardian is equipped with two maritime surface-search radars, an Inverse Synthetic Aperture Radar (ISAR) mode, an Automatic Identification System (AIS) receiver, high-definition video sensors, and electronic intelligence receivers.
