Qatar Eyes Armed MQ-9B SeaGuardian Patrol Drone as U.S. General Atomics Targets Gulf States.

DIMDEX 2026 opened January 19 in Doha, where General Atomics Aeronautical Systems showcased an armed MQ-9B SeaGuardian configuration aimed at Qatar’s maritime security requirements. The proposal signals a shift toward persistent unmanned strike capability in the Gulf, blending surveillance with precision weapons under U.S. Foreign Military Sales policy.

DIMDEX 2026 opened on 19 January in Doha at the Qatar National Convention Centre, reinforcing its role as Qatar’s premier venue for maritime security dialogue and high-end defense negotiations. On the exhibition floor, Army Recognition’s team observed General Atomics Aeronautical Systems actively promoting an MQ-9B SeaGuardian configuration as part of a targeted effort to attract Qatari interest in an armed, long-endurance maritime drone. The proposal goes well beyond persistent surveillance at sea, focusing instead on the aircraft’s weapons load, precision strike potential, and the way such capabilities could reshape day-to-day deterrence dynamics across the Gulf.
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An armed MQ-9B SeaGuardian configured with AGM-114R2 Hellfire missiles and 500-pound precision-guided munitions, illustrating its ability to conduct long-endurance maritime surveillance combined with pinpoint strikes against surface vessels, coastal targets, and time-sensitive threats in contested littoral environments (Picture source: Army Recognition Group).

For Qatar, the most consequential part of the package is the weapons suite tied to the U.S. Foreign Military Sale notification: 110 AGM-114R2 Hellfire II missiles, plus inert M36E9 captive air training rounds and M299 four-rail launchers for carriage and firing. The R2 variant belongs to the Hellfire Romeo family, a semi-active laser-guided weapon optimized for multi-purpose employment against vehicles, small craft, hardened points, and time-sensitive targets where low collateral damage is politically and operationally decisive. On an MQ-9B, Hellfire delivers the classic hunter-killer loop: the same aircraft that finds and tracks can engage immediately, without waiting for fast jets to arrive or naval guns to close the range.

Equally important is the bomb inventory that turns SeaGuardian from a maritime scout into a precision strike platform with scalable effects. Qatar’s request includes 300 BLU-111 500-pound general purpose bombs and 200 KMU-572 Joint Direct Attack Munition tail kits, the hardware that converts those unguided bodies into GPS-aided, all-weather weapons designated as GBU-38 or, when paired with a laser terminal seeker, Laser JDAM GBU-54. The DSU-38 laser illuminated target detector cited in the notification is the enabling component for that terminal laser mode, allowing engagement of moving targets such as fast boats that maneuver inside congested sea lanes. FMU-139D/B fuzes and related bomb components matter here because they determine effects and safety envelopes, from point-detonation for exposed targets to delayed settings against light structures.

The third strike option is the Paveway II path, requested as 100 MXU-650 air foil groups and 100 MAU-169 computer control groups for GBU-12. In practical terms, that is a 500-pound Mk 82-class weapon body with a laser seeker and guidance kit, typically favored when a controller can keep a laser spot on the aim point and wants predictable terminal accuracy with minimal dependence on satellite navigation. In Qatar’s operating environment, this complements JDAM by offering another way to prosecute fleeting targets or reduce risk in complex littoral clutter, including near ports, offshore platforms, and coastal infrastructure.

SeaGuardian’s appeal is that these munitions sit on a platform built to live over the ocean. The MQ-9B SeaGuardian datasheet specifies nine external hardpoints, an external payload capacity of 4,750 pounds plus 800 pounds internal, endurance of more than 30 hours, altitude beyond 40,000 feet, and range exceeding 5,000 nautical miles depending on configuration. Its maritime mission set is anchored by a 360-degree surface-search radar, Automatic Identification System reception, EO/IR targeting, and an architecture designed for civil airspace integration with detect-and-avoid and due regard radar. Integration work around advanced maritime radars, such as the Seaspray family, aligns the aircraft with wide-area maritime search and track generation for targeting and cueing.

For Doha, the strategic logic is straightforward: Qatar’s economic center of gravity sits offshore in gas infrastructure, and the shipping routes that feed LNG export tempo, and the regional threat picture now blends classic maritime harassment with drones, missiles, and fast-moving gray-zone activity. An armed SeaGuardian gives Qatar a persistent, decision-ready orbit that can cue naval patrol craft, hand targets to fighters, or apply force directly with Hellfire for limited engagements and JDAM or Paveway for fixed facilities and higher-confidence aim points. Valued at roughly $1.96 billion, the proposed MQ-9B package would position Qatar not only as a customer but as a precedent-setter in the Middle East for how high-end unmanned maritime strike and surveillance capabilities are fielded under U.S. export policy.