The U.S. Navy’s Group Sail Exercise, held over a six-day period in Hawaiian military operating areas, featured one of the world’s most advanced Unmanned Aircraft Systems — the MQ-9B SeaGuardianÆ supplied by General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc.

SeaGuardian conducted Maritime Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance, Anti-Submarine Warfare, Long Range Fires, and simulated Battle Damage Assessment as part of Group Sail, which supported Carrier Strike Groups FIFTEEN and ONE.

During the exercise, which ran April 12-17, 2023, SeaGuardian integrated with U.S. Navy ships (carriers, cruisers, and destroyers) and aircraft (F-35C, F/A-18, EA-18G, E-2D, MH-60, and P-8) to support various naval missions that included Maritime Domain Awareness, Surface Warfare, Information Warfare, and numerous time-sensitive targeting objectives and simulated Battle Damage Assessments.

“We were thrilled that the U.S. Navy requested SeaGuardian be part of the Group Sail training event,” said GA-ASI President David R. Alexander. “We know the many successes of SeaGuardian during the USN’s RIMPAC 2022 exercise was a big reason the SeaGuardian was invited back to Hawaii to support Group Sail.”

In addition to its contributions during Group Sail, the SeaGuardian self-deployed from GA-ASI’s Desert Horizons flight operations facility in El Mirage, Calif., to Marine Corps Base Hawaii, covering over 2,500 nautical miles in a single flight and demonstrating SeaGuardian’s unrivalled expeditionary attributes. The aircraft self-deployed back to El Mirage following the exercise.