Coast Guard buys first MQ-9B drones in $248M deal
The U.S. Coast Guard has placed a roughly $247.8 million order for four MQ-9B long-range unmanned aircraft, ground control stations and related equipment. The service says the unarmed drones will expand maritime surveillance, search-and-rescue work and counter-drug operations. The purchase is funded through the FY25 reconciliation package and FY26 appropriations, and follows prior Coast Guard use of Customs and Border Protection MQ-9A aircraft.
The Coast Guard is acquiring four MQ-9B SeaGuardian aircraft, plus ground control stations and associated gear, through a Customs and Border Protection contract. The order is valued at $247.8 million. The drones are intended for unarmed maritime patrol, search-and-rescue support, and drug-interdiction missions.
Funding comes from the FY25 reconciliation law, which provided the service nearly $25 billion, and from FY26 appropriations. Previously, Coast Guard personnel operated CBP MQ-9As from Texas. In FY26, those flights contributed to seizures of 60,700 pounds of illegal drugs and about 20 smuggling-related apprehensions. General Atomics says the SeaGuardian can stay aloft over 30 hours with a 1,200-nautical-mile mission radius.
The Coast Guard’s new long-range drones could alter how maritime agencies monitor offshore areas, potentially affecting fishermen, migrants, drug-trafficking networks, and coastal communities. Expanded surveillance may speed rescues and interdictions, while raising questions about privacy and oversight for people operating or traveling at sea. The effect may depend on how data is used, shared with partner agencies, and governed.