Saudi Arabia -MQ-9B UAV: Officials in charge, concerns, and conditions for a deal

10 June 2025

IntelligenceNote

Summary

General Atomics announced in May 2025 that it was in ongoing negotiations to sell up to 200 MQ-9B

unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to Saudi Arabia.

The potential deal includes a mix of MQ-9B SkyGuardian and SeaGuardian variants.

The note provides an overview of the following aspects:

Saudi officials overseeing the negotiations
Saudi conditions to conclude a deal
U.S. stance on these conditions as perceived by the kingdom
Saudi concern about the MQ-9
U.S. response regarding the concern

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