Riyadh is negotiating a multi-billion dollar contract with General Atomics for 130 MQ-9Bs and 200 Gambit CCA drones, which would reshape Saudi Arabia’s air power.
Summary
Discussions confirmed at the 2025 Dubai Airshow between Saudi Arabia and General Atomics concern an unprecedented package: up to 130 MQ-9B SkyGuardian drones and 200 Gambit CCA drones, the largest American drone project ever envisaged in the Middle East. This program is part of Riyadh’s efforts to break its dependence on piloted aircraft (F-15SA, Eurofighter Typhoon) and Chinese Wing Loong and CH-4 drones by acquiring systems that are more integrated with Western architectures and combined operations with the United States. The MQ-9Bs would provide long-range ISR and strike coverage, while the Gambits would act as “loyal wingmen” in support of current and future fighters, including the planned F-35s. Economically, the cumulative value of the contract, combined with the future F-35s, could be in the tens of billions of dollars, with a portion of production localized under Vision 2030. For Riyadh, this is not just about buying drones, but about repositioning its regional air superiority and deterrence against Iran.
The giant deal unveiled at the 2025 Dubai Airshow
At the Dubai Airshow 2025, General Atomics confirmed that its discussions with Riyadh now include up to 200 Collaborative Combat Aircraft based on the Gambit family, in addition to 130 MQ-9B drones, in what would be one of the largest US drone contracts ever signed with a Gulf country.
Industry officials say the contract is “still under negotiation,” but its architecture is now clear:
- a core of 130 MQ-9B SkyGuardian/SeaGuardian drones, capable of ISR, strike, and maritime surveillance missions;
- a fleet of up to 200 Gambit CCA drones, derived from the YFQ-42A platform exhibited in Dubai, designed to operate in swarms around manned combat aircraft.
To give an idea of the financial scale, the US notification for 8 MQ-9Bs destined for Qatar is valued at nearly $2 billion, including aircraft, weapons, and support. Based on industry estimates placing the full unit cost of an MQ-9B at around $30 to $32 million, a batch of 130 aircraft alone could exceed $4 billion, not including weapons, ground stations, and training.
The Gambit CCA, still in the ramp-up phase, does not have a public price. But analysts put the total MQ-9B + Gambit package in the high tens of billions, especially if you include maintenance over several decades and possible local production.
The operational logic of MQ-9B drones for Riyadh
The answer to Saudi Arabia’s endurance and surveillance needs
The MQ-9B is an evolution of the Reaper, with an endurance exceeding 40 hours, a ceiling of approximately 15,000 meters, and the ability to integrate into civil airspace thanks to its compliance with STANAG 4671 standards. Its Lynx multi-mode radar and HD optronic ball enable continuous surveillance of large land and sea areas, in day/night mode and in bad weather.
For Saudi Arabia, whose territory covers more than 2.1 million square kilometers and which must monitor both the Red Sea, the Persian Gulf, and long land borders, the combination of endurance and sensors makes sense. MQ-9B drones could:
- monitor vital maritime routes (straits, oil routes);
- track the movements of armed groups and Iranian cruise or ballistic missiles;
- provide early warning for Saudi air defense;
- support operations beyond its borders, particularly in Yemen, while limiting crew exposure.
Riyadh already operates Chinese CH-4 and Wing Loong I/II drones, as well as the newer Wing Loong-10B (HALE). These systems have been used extensively in Yemen, but remain less integrated with NATO architectures and US chains of command. By switching to the MQ-9B, the Saudi military gains access to:
- an ecosystem widely shared by partners such as the United Kingdom, Belgium, Denmark, Canada, India, and Japan;
- enhanced interoperability with US forces during joint exercises or actual operations;
- better access to multi-sensor intelligence capabilities and networked warfare.
The place of MQ-9Bs in Saudi Arabia’s defense architecture
The Royal Saudi Air Force already has an impressive fleet of F-15C/D/S/SA (more than 200), Eurofighter Typhoons (around 70), and modernized Tornado IDS aircraft. These aircraft offer significant strike power, but their long-range deployment with extended patrols remains costly in terms of flight hours and crew fatigue.
The MQ-9Bs would allow part of the mission to be shifted:
- intelligence and target designation missions prior to the arrival of fighters;
- precision strikes with guided munitions, when the ground-to-air threat is limited;
- maritime surveillance for the protection of offshore oil infrastructure and submarine cables.
Ultimately, these drones could be integrated into a distributed sensor network, sharing their data in real time with command centers, F-15SA and Typhoon aircraft, Saab 2000 and E-3 AEW&C aircraft, and Patriot or THAAD ground-to-air defense systems.
The Collaborative Combat Aircraft Gambit
The Gambit family as the basis for collaborative combat drones
The Gambit family is designed around a common core: airframes, landing gear, basic avionics, and digital architecture, to which mission modules are added. The different variants announced cover distinct roles:
- Gambit 1 for intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR);
- Gambit 2 for multi-domain combat;
- Gambit 3 for advanced training;
- Gambit 4 for stealth reconnaissance;
- Gambit 5 for shipboard operations;
- Gambit 6 for air-to-air and air-to-ground missions, including electronic warfare, SEAD, and deep strike.
The goal is to provide a modular, mass-produced CCA capable of acting as a “loyal wingman” for manned aircraft, with increasing autonomy:
- swarm operations, with data sharing between drones;
- autonomous mission planning capabilities;
- execution of coordinated attacks against ground-to-air defenses.
GA-ASI is promoting the YFQ-42A, based on Gambit, as a demonstrator of this concept of collaborative combat drones, designed to accompany fighters such as the F-35 Lightning II or future American NGAD systems.
Integration of CCAs into the Saudi forces
For Riyadh, the Gambit CCAs offer two advantages. First, they increase the number of platforms available on the front line. Whereas an F-15SA squadron has a few dozen aircraft, dozens of CCAs can be deployed ahead, absorbing some of the risks posed by enemy defenses.
Second, these CCAs prepare for the eventual arrival of a fleet of Saudi F-35s. Washington has announced its intention to sell F-35s to Riyadh, in a less advanced version than that delivered to Israel, in order to preserve Israel’s “qualitative military edge.” In any case, these aircraft would only arrive in the medium term.
In the meantime, the Gambit CCAs can be integrated:
- in support of the F-15SA and Typhoon for penetration, deep strike, and SEAD missions;
- as forward sensor relays, transmitting data to manned aircraft;
- as carriers of decoys or jammers to saturate Iranian or Houthi defenses.
The doctrinal challenge is considerable: it involves moving from a force centered on a few high-end platforms to a model combining a “core” of manned fighters and a mass of collaborative combat drones.
The economic and industrial framework of a multi-billion dollar contract
The various estimates available for the MQ-9B and export packages (Qatar, Poland, other customers) suggest that a contract for 130 aircraft, including weapons, support, and training, could easily reach $8 to $10 billion. If we add the Gambit CCA component—which is more complex, more recent, and probably more expensive—some analysts are talking about an MQ-9B + CCA package worth more than $20 billion over the life of the program.
This project is part of a broader context: the United States is preparing or has already announced a weapons package worth more than $100 billion for Riyadh, including aircraft, helicopters, missiles, air defense, and potentially F-35s. The MQ-9B/Gambit component would be added to this framework agreement, directly linked to enhanced strategic normalization between Washington and Riyadh.
For Saudi Arabia, the industrial dimension is central. For several years, the Vision 2030 strategy has imposed objectives for offsets, technology transfer, and local production via players such as Saudi Arabian Military Industries (SAMI) and GAMI. The comments made in Dubai by General Atomics explicitly mention the study of partial production options on Saudi soil, given the volume of the order:
- final assembly of certain drones;
- participation of Saudi subcontractors in structural or wiring components;
- creation of a regional maintenance hub for MQ-9B and Gambit.
This location would enable Riyadh to reduce some of its support costs in the long term, but also to position itself as a provider of services and MCO (maintenance in operational condition) for other customers in the Gulf and even Africa.
The link with the F-35 file and regional strategic balance
The agreement on the MQ-9Bs and Gambit CCAs cannot be separated from the F-35 issue. Washington has confirmed its intention to sell up to 48 F-35s to Riyadh, in a configuration that is inferior to that of Israel, in order to respect the principle of the Jewish state’s qualitative military superiority.
For Saudi Arabia, the F-35 + MQ-9B + Gambit package represents a coherent architecture:
- the F-35 provides stealth penetration, data fusion, and force coordination;
- the Gambit CCAs provide mass, risk dispersion, saturation attacks, and electronic warfare;
- The MQ-9Bs guarantee persistence in the area, surveillance of distant theaters, and information relay.
This combination significantly strengthens Saudi Arabia’s position vis-à-vis Iran, which is deploying more and more ballistic missiles, attack drones, and asymmetric naval capabilities. It also raises questions for Israel, already concerned about the opening of the “F-35 club” to a neighbor that has a strategic relationship with China, both in terms of drones and missiles.
For Washington, the gamble is clear: to frame Saudi Arabia’s rise by linking it to the American technological ecosystem (F-35, MQ-9B, CCA), rather than allowing Riyadh to accelerate its shift towards Chinese or Russian platforms. The Gambit and MQ-9B drones thus become an instrument of foreign policy as much as a military tool.
The gradual transformation of Saudi air power
If the contract goes ahead, Saudi Arabia will not change its military face overnight. It will take years to train crews, establish chains of command, adapt air defense to the massive presence of friendly drones, and integrate these systems into doctrine.
But the direction is clear:
- from a force centered on a few dozen heavy fighters, Riyadh would shift to a structure combining manned aircraft, MALE drones, and CCA;
- priority would be given to information superiority (ISR, data fusion, real-time sharing) rather than just the number of combat aircraft;
- The ability to conduct sustained long-range operations against fixed and mobile targets would be significantly increased.
It remains to be seen whether Riyadh will accept the political and technical constraints associated with these American systems: software dependency, limitations on use, control of updates, and increased vigilance by the US Congress. The balance between the ambition for strategic autonomy and access to the most advanced technologies will be at the heart of the next decade for Saudi Arabia.
In this equation, the MQ-9Bs and Gambit CCAs are not just new drones: they are a full-scale test of the kingdom’s ability to transition to high-intensity, distributed, digital air power that is deeply integrated with Western defense architectures.
Sources
– Breaking Defense, “Saudis could buy up to 200 CCA drones, in addition to MQ-9s”; “Saudi Arabia in talks to buy as many as 200 MQ-9 drones”
– Army Recognition, “Saudi Arabia in talks with General Atomics for up to 200 Gambit Collaborative Combat Aircraft”
– Newsweek, “Trump Ally in Talks for Biggest-Ever US Military Drone Deal”
– General Atomics, MQ-9B SkyGuardian / Gambit / YFQ-42A fact sheets and press releases
– Defence Industry Europe, DSCA, AP, on MQ-9B sales to Qatar and European customers
– Oryx, Defence Security Asia, Eurasia Review, on Chinese drones in Saudi Arabia
– Euro-SD, Wikipedia RSAF, on the Saudi fighter fleet
– Reuters, Times of Israel, Forbes, JINSA, AP, on US arms sales, F-35s, and the Israeli edge
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