General Atomics and Kongsberg have advanced the integration of the Joint Strike Missile with the MQ-9B unmanned aircraft after completing two major engineering design reviews. The successful completion of the System Requirements Review and Preliminary Design Review confirms that the project has progressed beyond initial planning and is entering a more mature development phase. The effort focuses on integrating the fifth-generation Joint Strike Missile onto MQ-9B variants such as SkyGuardian and SeaGuardian, giving the aircraft a powerful long-range precision strike capability against both land and maritime targets. The enhanced platform will combine the drone’s proven endurance and surveillance performance with advanced stand-off attack capability, allowing operators to conduct reconnaissance and precision strike missions using a single aircraft. The integration program highlights growing interest in expanding the combat capabilities of large unmanned aerial systems as militaries seek more flexible and survivable platforms for future operations.
