Coast Guard places $248 million order for first MQ-9B drones

The Coast Guard is buying four MQ-9B long-range unmanned aircraft systems. The order is the service’s first purchase of MQ-9B drones. It includes the aircraft, ground control stations, and other supporting equipment. The total price is $247.8 million, or just under $250 million.

The purchase creates a complete operating package, not simply four airframes. Ground control stations allow crews to operate and manage the aircraft remotely. The drones are intended to give Coast Guard crews a longer-range view of offshore waters and possible threats.

The funding came from the FY25 reconciliation package and FY26 appropriations. The reconciliation package included nearly $25 billion for the Coast Guard. The new aircraft will support maritime oversight, search and rescue, and counter-drug operations, among other missions. They are not expected to carry weapons.

The MQ-9B SeaGuardian is a high-flying, long-range unmanned aircraft system. General Atomics builds it for maritime intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance. It can remain airborne for more than 30 hours and operate across a mission radius of roughly 1,200 nautical miles.

Its defining difference is the absence of an onboard crew. Coast Guard personnel manage the aircraft through ground control stations included in the purchase. This lets the service place sensors and aircraft over offshore waters without sending a pilot and other crew members into the aircraft.

The Coast Guard expects the aircraft to support maritime oversight, search and rescue, and counter-drug operations. A service spokesperson said the drones are not expected to carry weapons. Their main value is persistent observation, helping crews detect threats earlier and make faster, better-informed decisions.

The Coast Guard plans to use the MQ-9Bs for several missions across its maritime responsibilities. They will help oversee offshore waters, conduct search and rescue operations, and counter drug trafficking. The aircraft will also perform maritime intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance, commonly shortened to ISR.

Their key mechanism is extended observation. The SeaGuardian can stay airborne for more than 30 hours and has a mission radius of roughly 1,200 nautical miles. That endurance gives Coast Guard crews a longer-range view of the maritime domain. The aircraft can help identify possible threats and provide information to crews.

The Coast Guard says this information should help crews detect threats earlier, make better-informed decisions, and act faster. The aircraft are not expected to carry weapons. Their role is primarily to observe, support operations, and improve the service’s reach across multiple missions.

The MQ-9B SeaGuardian is designed to conduct maritime intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance for more than 30 hours at a time. Its mission radius is roughly 1,200 nautical miles. These figures describe its intended endurance and operating reach, giving the Coast Guard a substantial offshore observation footprint.

Long endurance means the aircraft can remain over a maritime area for extended periods rather than quickly returning for a replacement flight. The large mission radius allows it to operate far from its base. Coast Guard crews can direct the aircraft from ground control stations, which are included in the purchase.

The practical effect is a longer-range view of the maritime domain. The Coast Guard expects that view to help detect threats earlier and support faster decisions. The same reach can assist search and rescue and counter-drug missions, although the article does not provide specific patrol schedules or coverage maps.

Long-range drones can extend the Coast Guard’s view across offshore waters. Their endurance and reach allow crews to observe maritime areas for long periods while operating the aircraft remotely. That matters because earlier information can give responders more time to decide what action is needed.

For search and rescue, persistent observation could help crews locate or monitor people and vessels over wide areas. In counter-drug operations, the drones could detect suspicious activity and pass information to Coast Guard teams. The article also links this wider view to threat detection, better-informed decisions, and faster action.

The Coast Guard has not said these aircraft will carry weapons. Their contribution is surveillance and information. The service expects the four MQ-9Bs to expand its reach across several missions. The article does not quantify future rescues, seizures, or arrests from the new aircraft, so their exact operational results remain unknown.

Before buying MQ-9Bs, the Coast Guard teamed with U.S. Customs and Border Protection and flew CBP’s MQ-9A drones. The operations were conducted from Texas, according to a Coast Guard factsheet. This gave the Coast Guard experience using another agency’s unmanned aircraft for missions involving maritime and border security.

The aircraft supported CBP operations by providing an airborne view of activity. That surveillance helped support enforcement actions against drug trafficking and smugglers. The article does not detail exactly how each flight contributed, but it links the aircraft’s support to reported seizures and apprehensions.

In FY26, the aircraft supported CBP in seizing 60,700 pounds of illegal drugs and apprehending roughly 20 smugglers. The Coast Guard’s new MQ-9B purchase could give it more direct access to similar long-range capabilities. However, the article does not promise that future results will match those figures.

Maritime intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance, or ISR, is the collection and use of information about activity at sea. Intelligence helps turn observations into useful understanding. Surveillance means watching areas or activity over time. Reconnaissance means examining places or situations to learn what is happening.

For the Coast Guard, this information supports oversight of the maritime domain. An MQ-9B can remain airborne for more than 30 hours and operate across a roughly 1,200-nautical-mile mission radius. Its sensors and long flight time can give crews a broad, sustained view from a remotely operated aircraft.

That view matters because the Coast Guard handles threats, rescues, and drug-trafficking operations across offshore waters. Better information can help crews detect threats earlier, make better-informed decisions, and act faster. The article presents ISR as a support function, not an armed mission; the aircraft are not expected to carry weapons.