Vanguard Magazine

12 OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2025 www.vanguardcanada.com Sponsored Content ed to meet these requirements, offering persistent surveillance, resilience in harsh conditions, and advanced sensor capabili- ties that ensure comprehensive situational awareness. The platform's resilient satellite com- munications (SATCOM) suite is a corner- stone of its Arctic capabilities. Leveraging Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellites and Proliferated Low Earth Orbit (PLEO) constellations, the CQ-9B ensures reliable connectivity at high latitudes, a critical factor for operations in polar regions. As PLEO constellations continue to expand, the CQ-9B's ability to provide global access will only grow, solidifying its role as a cornerstone of Canada's Arctic strategy and its responsibilities abroad. Cold weather performance is likewise foundational to the aircraft's suitability in the High North. CQ-9B has undergone extensive testing and validation for cold weather conditions. It is equipped with an electro-expulsive de-icing system and an anti-icing heated engine inlet, which ensures the aircraft maintains peak perfor- mance despite freezing temperatures. These features enable the CQ-9B to operate at high altitudes and in icy con- ditions, ensuring reliable performance in the Arctic's unforgiving environment and during the country's winter reality from coast to coast to coast. C anada's defense strategy faces daunting demands imposed by the nation's vast geography as an Arctic nation with three oceans, complex terrain, and extreme weather. When it comes to how Canada tackles those challenges, prepare for everything to change. The CQ-9B Guardian is more than just a defence acquisition program. It's a bold step forward in conducting today's air missions: a mixed-fleet approach that combines the strengths of crewed and un- crewed systems to radically increase the ef- fectiveness of traditional crewed systems, reduce operational costs, and protect the lives of aircrews. This transformation is spearheaded by Team SkyGuardian Canada: an innova- tive partnership effort between General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA- ASI) and leading Canadian aerospace and defense companies CAE, MDA Space, and L3Harris WESCAM. Team SkyGuardian delivers cutting-edge technology and fosters economic growth and innovation via MQ-9B SkyGuardian®, the world's leading multi-mission remotely piloted aircraft system (RPAS), while bol- stering Canada's defence industrial base. Canadian expertise is guiding every aspect of the program — from advanced sensors to high-fidelity training systems — ensuring that the RPAS fleet, including 11 aircraft and six ground control systems, is tailored to meet Canada's unique defense needs. For example, MDA Space in Richmond, British Columbia (B.C.), is leading the effort to construct Certifiable Ground Control Stations (CGCS) and crew mis- sion stations that will serve as the com- mand-and-control center for all CQ-9B operations. The CQ-9B Guardian's ability to operate in harsh weather and endure long periods on station, at longest range, while safely navigating civil airspace fills the capability gap of traditional crewed platforms like surveillance aircraft and fighter jets. These core technical capabilities com- bined with the positive economic impact in Canada make the Guardian program a model for how the RCAF can achieve the mixed-fleet future in today's challenging security environment. Arctic Operations: A Perfect Fit for CQ-9B Canada's Arctic region presents unique challenges that demand specialized capa- bilities. With immense distances, extreme cold, and limited infrastructure, maintain- ing domain awareness in the Arctic is no small feat. The CQ-9B Guardian is uniquely suit- P E R S P E C T I V E THE CQ-9B GUARDIAN PROGRAM HERALDS CANADA'S MIXED-FLEET FUTURE GA-ASI's MQ-9B SkyGuardian®, now a program of record with the RCAF known as CQ-9B, will work with uncrewed platforms to support ISR missions across Canada, including the Arctic. (Artistic rendering)

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