The expanded anti-submarine warfare (ASW) capabilities of the MQ-9B SeaGuardian have been successfully evaluated by General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI) through the deployment and testing of anti-submarine sensors using pre-production Sonobuoy Dispensing System (SDS) pods. The tests, which took place between January 20 and 30, 2025, were a major advancement in proving the SeaGuardian’s capability to carry out sustained ASW operations from start to finish.
Sonobuoy Dispensing System (SDS) Pods: The SeaGuardian deployed several sonobuoys, such as Bathythermograph sonobuoys, Directional Command Activated Sonobuoy System (DICASS), and Directional Frequency Analysis and Recording (DIFAR), using recently created SDS pods. These sonobuoys improve underwater target identification, tracking, and analysis by enabling onboard thermal-depth and acoustic data processing.
The SeaGuardian’s ability to efficiently collect vital acoustic intelligence through the combination of SDS pods and sonobuoys represents a significant advancement in unmanned ASW capabilities.
GA-ASI is eager to continue working with the U.S. Navy to investigate novel approaches to distributed marine operations in the underwater environment.
MQ-9B Procurement: In October 2024, India finalized a contract of ₹34,500 Crores for the purchase of 31 MQ-9B SkyGuardian and SeaGuardian drones.
Co-Production of Sonobuoys: The United States and India are nearing an agreement to jointly make sonobuoys, which would increase both countries’ awareness of the underwater realm. Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL) and Ultra Maritime are partners in this partnership.
India’s acquisition and cooperation initiatives, along with the improvements in the MQ-9B SeaGuardian’s ASW capabilities, demonstrate important gains in anti-submarine warfare and maritime security technologies.
