General Atomics Aeronautical Systems and Norway’s Kongsberg Gruppen have completed two major design reviews supporting the integration of the Joint Strike Missile (JSM) onto the MQ-9B unmanned aerial system. The successful completion of the System Requirements Review and Preliminary Design Review marks an important milestone, allowing the program to progress from defining operational requirements toward detailed engineering and system integration. Conducted in Norway during late June, the reviews confirmed the technical approach for equipping the MQ-9B family, including the SkyGuardian and SeaGuardian variants, with Kongsberg’s fifth-generation precision-guided missile. The integration effort is jointly funded by both companies and is intended to significantly enhance the long-range strike capability of the MQ-9B platform. The JSM is designed to engage high-value land and maritime targets while incorporating advanced guidance systems, low-observable characteristics, and sophisticated target discrimination capabilities. Once integrated, the MQ-9B will provide operators with a combination of persistent intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance, and precision strike capabilities from a single unmanned platform. The milestone reflects increasing demand for multi-role unmanned aircraft capable of conducting long-endurance surveillance missions while delivering stand-off precision effects in contested operational environments.
