Qatar has received official approval from the U.S. for the purchase of MQ-9B SkyGuardian Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), developed by General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, for $2 billion. The agreement includes a total of 8 MQ-9B UAVs, as well as BLU-111, AGM-114R2 Hellfire, and GBU-12 Paveway munitions. The total cost of the sale was announced as $1.96 billion.
Approved Under FMS, Deliveries in 2026
Initially pre-approved in March 2025 under the Foreign Military Sales (FMS) program, the agreement was officially approved by the U.S. Department of State on March 28. Under this framework, deliveries to Qatar are expected to begin in 2026.
Munitions Included in the MQ-9B SkyGuardian Package
The MQ-9B procurement agreement includes advanced munitions:
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300 BLU-111 general-purpose bombs
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200 Boeing JDAM (Joint Direct Attack Munition) kits
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110 Lockheed Martin AGM-114R2 Hellfire II air-to-ground missiles
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Raytheon GBU-12 Paveway II bombs
MQ-9B Technical Specifications
Equipped with a TPE-331 turboprop engine, the MQ-9B features advanced radar and sensor systems:
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Radar: General Atomics Lynx APY-8 synthetic aperture radar
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Sensors: L3Harris Rio Grande electro-optical sensors
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Maximum Takeoff Weight: 5,670 kg
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Payload Capacity: 2,155 kg
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Endurance: 40 hours
Countries Using the MQ-9B SkyGuardian
The MQ-9B comes in two variants: the SkyGuardian and the SeaGuardian. It conducted its first flight in 2016. Countries operating the MQ-9B include the U.S., the U.K., Italy, France, Spain, and India.
With this acquisition, Qatar is expected to enhance its military capabilities in the region and leverage the strategic advantages offered by the MQ-9B SkyGuardian.
