General Atomics Aeronautical Systems (GA-ASI) and Kongsberg Gruppen have successfully completed two critical design reviews supporting the integration of the Joint Strike Missile (JSM) onto the MQ-9B unmanned aerial system, marking an important milestone in expanding the platform’s strike capabilities. The completion of the System Requirements Review and Preliminary Design Review confirms that the project has progressed beyond the initial planning stage and is moving into detailed engineering and system integration. Conducted in Norway during late June, the reviews form part of a jointly funded development effort aimed at equipping the MQ-9B family, including the SkyGuardian and SeaGuardian variants, with Kongsberg’s advanced fifth-generation precision-guided missile. Once integrated, the Joint Strike Missile will significantly enhance the drone’s ability to conduct long-range precision strikes against high-value maritime and land targets while operating from stand-off distances outside hostile air defense systems. The new capability will expand the MQ-9B’s operational flexibility by combining intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance, and precision strike missions within a single unmanned platform, making it more effective across multi-domain military operations.
