US greenlights potential $1.96 billion MQ-9B drone deal for Qatar

The General Atomics MQ-9B Unmanned Aerial Vehicle is staged at the U.S. Army Yuma Proving Grounds, U.S. Army Test and Evaluation Command, Yuma, Ariz., Nov. 7, 2019. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Colton Brownlee)

WASHINGTON — The US government today approved a potential $1.96 billion sale to Qatar of eight MQ-9B unmanned aerial vehicles, which, if completed, would mark the first sale of the General Atomics-produced drones to the Middle East.

The potential deal also includes hundreds of bombs along with scores of missiles, several radars, radios, satellite communication ground systems and related equipment, along with US technical support.

“This proposed sale will support the foreign policy and national security objectives of the United States by helping to improve the security of a friendly country that continues to be an important force for political stability and economic progress in the Middle East,” the State Department said in its public notification. “The proposed sale will improve Qatar’s capability to meet current and future threats by providing timely intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance, target acquisition, counter-land, and counter-surface sea capabilities for its security and defense.”

A spokesperson for General Atomics, C. Mark Brinkley, told Breaking Defense, “We’re very excited by the news, and ready to support Qatar in any way. MQ-9B strikes the perfect balance of affordability, versatility, and capability for airborne ISR missions worldwide. There’s nothing else like it anywhere.”

Qatari officials first requested armed drones in 2020, but became frustrated with the then-Biden administration for slowrolling the request, according to an October 2021 report by The Wall Street Journal.

Today’s announcement comes just weeks after GA-ASI President David Alexander spoke to Breaking Defense at a defense conference hosted by Qatar’s neighbor, the United Arab Emirates, where he said he expected previously delayed arms sales would likely see a renewed push under a new Trump administration.

“They mean business now, and they want to see the business deals happen and where we’ve been, maybe stuck in policy and bureaucrats,” Alexander said Feb. 19 during the IDEX 2025 conference. “I think it’s going to move out quick, so I predict a lot of action in this area, and a lot of business growth for General Atomics.”

In the same interview, Alexander said he expected a long-stranded deal for MQ-9Bs for the UAE “to move” as well. That deal has been in limbo for years due to complications with a larger F-35 controversy.

The MQ-9B, which comes in the SkyGuardian and maritime-equipped SeaGuardian variants, is designed to fly for more than 30 hours and as high as over 40,000 feet. (The announcement doesn’t say which variant Qatar could be acquiring.)

As with any Foreign Military Sale, the dollar and unit figures involved are subject to change as negotiations progress, and it’s always possible a member of Congress could step into put a hold on the deal.