IDEX 2023: General Atomics showcases SkyGuardian UAV with Emirati weapons
A rendering on display at IDEX showed the potential integration of Halcon weapons onto GA-ASI's MQ-9B SkyGuardian UAS. (Photo: author)
Pictures showing Halcon weapons on the MQ-9B SkyGuardian indicate that a stalled UAE programme to purchase the UAS is back on.
At IDEX 2023, US drone manufacturer General Atomics Aeronautical Systems (GA-ASI) showcased an MQ-9B SkyGuardian UAV carrying Halcon missiles.
A picture of the aircraft carrying multiple types of Emirati weapons was on show at the company's stand.
The image showed the MQ-9B fitted with Halcon's Thunder P-31, Thunder P-32 and Desert Sting systems.
The UAE was approved to buy the US-built MQ-9B SkyGuardian UAS in 2020. However, in 2021 a letter of acceptance for the programme was reportedly withdrawn after the Biden administration put the brakes on the sale of the UAS and F-35s to the country.
The imagery of the
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