MQ-9B Remotely Piloted Aircraft Support For Resource Protection

New Zealand is a maritime nation with the third-largest exclusive economic zone (EEZ) and one of the largest search and rescue areas in the world. Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPA) systems provide an opportunity to deliver a more effective maritime surveillance capability at much lower cost, and with significantly less environmental impact, than existing manned platforms.

The General Atomics MQ9B SeaGuardian, the maritime variant of the SkyGuardian, is a capability that can undertake multiple nonmilitary tasks relevant to New Zealand and its region of interest, including resource protection, search and rescue, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief. It is also very capable across a wide range of military roles.

A study recently commissioned by Hawk Eye Ltd and conducted by the NZ Institute of Economic Research (NZIER) Inc., utilising public and commercially available information, addressed employment of the MQ-9B in a fisheries protection role, by scoping the economic returns from enhanced surveillance of Antarctic Toothfish fisheries in the Ross Sea. While narrow in its focus, the results are believed to have applicability across broader resource protection roles and other non-military applications. The study found that MQ9B SeaGuardian employment would:

• Provide value for money – MQ-9Bs were significantly more cost effective than existing platforms, such as P-3 Orions or other fixed-wing alternatives;

• Provide enhanced capability – The ability to stay on station for long periods without being easily detected provides a degree of deterrence beyond existing platforms; and

• Pay its way – The economic returns from enhanced surveillance and reduced need to operate more expensive platforms would both cover the operating costs and meet the overhead and capital costs of the SeaGuardian.

Illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing has been estimated to account for 10% to 30% more fish being harvested than is being accounted for by legal fishing around the world. Such illegal activity compromises the sustainability of fish harvesting operations, including in New Zealand’s EEZ or across its region of strategic interest.

Fishery management over extended sea areas depends on effective monitoring of activity and enforcement of regulations. Aerial surveillance complements other monitoring capability including satellite surveillance, by being able to cover large areas of sea, and identifying vessels, particularly those acting suspiciously. Aerial surveillance can be conducted covertly or overtly.

New Zealand monitors fisheries in the Ross Sea sector of the Southern Ocean under the auspices of the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR). A principal target of that management is prevention of illegal fishing for Antarctic Toothfish which are found within and solely managed under the CCAMLR.

The basic premise for the examination conducted by the NZIER is that surveillance monitoring of the Ross Sea Antarctic Toothfish fishery can be more effectively achieved with RPA than under the current arrangement of infrequent flights by manned P-3K2 Orion aircraft and occasional surveillance by a naval vessel.

The study analysed the government leasing of two Company-Owned, Company-Operated (COCO) MQ9B SeaGuardian RPA and related systems for a range of flight hours each year. MQ-9B RPA are capable of conducting missions of up to 35 hours with a maritime sensor configuration, including a multi-mode radar, an electro-optics/infrared system, and an automatic identification system (AIS).

In terms of the cost of the aircraft being on-station, the longer sortie durations, and lack of on-board crew for the MQ-9B mean that drone options are more cost-effective in delivering hours of surveillance than crewed aircraft. An extract from the NZIER report highlighting a range of MQ-9B and P-3K2 operating options and costs per on-station hour is contained in Table 1 [not featured in Issuu format].

The NZIER report concluded that drone operations also have a qualitative advantage, in that more effective surveillance can be provided by a 13-hour sortie over the ocean when compared to much shorter sorties by crewed aircraft. The collection of ‘pattern of life’ is one example. Further, with two RPA available, it is possible to deploy these RPA consecutively to provide up to 18 hours continuous surveillance, further increasing the advantages over crewed aircraft.

The MQ-9B RPA, which is available today, could both replace some current surveillance operations and also extend surveillance capability. The principal benefit realised would be an increase in the detection of non-compliant activity in the Ross Sea fishery, leading to the positive identification of suspect vessels; and the deterrent effect of more regular patrols that should reduce the number of infringements and level the playing field for compliant vessels. Either of those outcomes has potential to increase the probability of New Zealand vessels increasing catch sizes and adding to national economic benefit.

The study also concluded that similar increases in cost-effectiveness for other mission types including, but not limited to, firefighting; combatting trafficking of drugs, arms and people; search and rescue; biosecurity response; disaster response; law enforcement; and infrastructure monitoring were potentially feasible.

The study also noted that MQ-9B RPA operation would make a positive contribution to New Zealand by reducing its emission of greenhouse gases. The MQ-9B carries a maximum of 2720 kg of AVTUR for a maximum sortie endurance of 35 hours: around 1/9th of the maximum fuel load of a P-3K2 and around 1/12th of the P-8A Poseidon.

SeaGuardian presents a gamechanging, cost-effective, and ecological ISR solution for New Zealand’s civil security, while also having proven potential to support a wide range of Defence needs. Meaningful New Zealand industry opportunities would exist through the lease or acquisition of the SeaGuardian RPAS – from a family of RPAS with over 7 million flight hours and the world’s most experienced RPAS manufacturer – General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc.