Raytheon UK to Provide Enhanced GPS Resilience for MQ-9B Platforms

Raytheon UK has secured a contract with General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI) to supply its Landshield Plus GPS anti-jamming systems for the MQ-9B remotely piloted aircraft family.

The agreement covers the delivery of approximately 140 units, with integration planned for both SkyGuardian® and SeaGuardian® variants.

The Landshield Plus is a next-generation antenna system engineered to safeguard essential navigation and timing signals. As modern operational environments increasingly involve contested electromagnetic spectrums, the system is designed to detect, suppress, and reject hostile interference. This capability ensures that platforms maintain assured positioning, navigation, and timing (APNT) during mission-critical tasks.

Deliveries under this contract are expected to commence in 2026. The integration onto the MQ-9B represents a notable expansion of the Landshield technology’s airborne application, particularly for remotely piloted aircraft that conduct long-range missions in complex threat landscapes.

Alex Rose-Parfitt, engineering director at Raytheon UK, commented, “The MQ-9B is operated by a growing number of international customers who depend on assured positioning, navigation and timing for global missions. Equipping the MQ-9B family with Landshield Plus helps to ensure mission success by providing robust protection against GPS jamming, enabling secure and reliable operations in any deployment environment.”

Designed and manufactured in the United Kingdom, Raytheon UK’s APNT solutions are already in use across land, sea, and air domains globally. The Landshield Plus features a versatile design, allowing it to be customized for various platforms depending on specific mission requirements. This contract reinforces the protection of GPS signals for international operators who rely on the MQ-9B for persistent surveillance and strike capabilities.