Vanguard Magazine

In addition to its resilience, the CQ-9B delivers unmatched endurance. With the ability to remain on station for extended periods, it provides 24/7 surveillance across vast areas, detecting air, ground, and maritime assets. The CQ-9B's ad- vanced sensors and real-time data process- ing capabilities ensure that Canada can maintain Arctic domain awareness and secure its sovereignty without risking hu- man lives. The Next Chapter The CQ-9B Guardian program is more than just a procurement effort — it's a pivot for Canada's defense future. By delivering cutting-edge technology, fostering collaboration, and investing in advanced capabilities, Team SkyGuardian Canada is positioning the nation to lead globally in remotely piloted systems inno- vation, with impressive momentum. The inherent flexibility of the CQ-9B system itself offers many opportunities for innovation in this area. As Canada seeks to tackle its fu- ture Airborne Early Warning & Con- trol (AEW&C) requirement, GA-ASI and Saab have teamed up to develop an AEW&C mission package for remotely piloted aircraft. The AEW&C package is a long-awaited transformative approach to the air do- main control mission. Covering Canada's vast airspace has always been a challenge, and when NORAD obligations and Arctic security missions are added to the mix, it becomes resource prohibitive to meet all demands with traditional crewed air assets. The mixed-fleet approach leveraging the CQ-9B with AEW&C capabilities is the solution. Airborne Launched Effects (ALEs) like the Precision Exportable Launched Effect (PELE) system offer another avenue for le- veraging Canada's investment in CQ-9B to advance a mixed-fleet vision. ALEs significantly enhance the reach and effectiveness of the CQ-9B family of systems by extending their operational capabilities into contested or high-risk en- vironments. With a range of 500 nautical miles and endurance of up to seven hours, PELE can penetrate disputed zones to as- sess hostile forces, detect anti-air systems, and geo-locate threats, enabling the CQ- 9B to operate safely and strategically from international waters or other secure areas. GA-ASI can also integrate ALEs from third-party companies, something it dem- onstrated with the successful deployment of AeroVironment's Switchblade® 600 loitering munition in a test earlier this year. ALEs like PELE and Switchblade 600 represent a growing body of work that validates the approach of using larger un- www.vanguardcanada.com OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2025 13 Sponsored Content P E R S P E C T I V E crewed aerial systems as motherships for launching additional effects, whether they be munitions, electronic warfare systems, or additional surveillance payloads for high-risk missions. Looking further ahead, advancements in Autonomous Collaborative Platforms (ACP), or specifically Collaborative Com- bat Aircraft (CCA) technologies, are poised to revolutionise Canada's defence operations. GA-ASI is developing the first CCA under contract for the U.S. Air Force's program, which aims to deliver "affordable mass." By fielding large numbers of uncrewed wing- men that team with 5th-generation aircraft and future tactical aircraft, these CCAs will expand sensing, weapons capacity, and sur- vivability in contested airspace. And that future is coming faster than some might presume. In August, GA-ASI and the U.S. Air Force announced that they had begun YFQ-42A flight opera- tions, underscoring how quickly this capa- bility is becoming a reality. With the CQ-9B program well under- way, Canada's mixed-fleet future is here. By combining cutting-edge technology with advanced Arctic capabilities, GA-ASI and its Canadian partners are delivering more than aircraft — they're delivering a vision for the future, built on strong defence in- dustry foundations. GA-ASI's MQ-9B AEW&C RPAS is an affordable approach to critical search and sensing missions across vast terrain. The YFQ-42A is a semi-autonomous unmanned combat jet that delivers affordable mass and powerful capability. Artistic rendering of GA-ASI's PELE.

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