MQ-9B SeaGuardian Flies in U.S. Airspace Like Piloted Aircraft Thanks to Collision Avoidance Tech

Using the Detect and Avoid System, the MQ-9B operated in U.S. airspace like any other piloted aircraft, without the need for the special handling usually required for UAS.

The U.S. Navy’s Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division (NAWCAD) announced on Sep. 17, 2025, the flight of a MQ-9B SeaGuardian from California to Washington, during which the drone “operated in U.S. airspace like a piloted aircraft for the first time using its advanced onboard detect and avoid system.” Contents Using the Detect and Avoid System, the MQ-9B operated in U.S. airspace like any other piloted aircraft, without the need for the special handling usually required for UAS. Origins Guardian ground-based collision avoidance software Sensors and collision avoidance Manned-Unmanned Teaming

NAWCA