According to information published by Wang Dingyu on August 31, 2022, after intensive discussions between the two sides, the Taiwanese Ministry of National Defense signed a contract for the acquisition of four SeaGuardian MQ-9B UAVs.
The General Atomics MQ-9 Reaper (sometimes called Predator B) is an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) capable of remotely controlled or autonomous flight operations developed by General Atomics Aeronautical Systems (GA-ASI) primarily for the United States Air Force (USAF). The MQ-9 and other UAVs are referred to as Remotely Piloted Vehicles/Aircraft (RPV/RPA) by the USAF to indicate their human ground controllers.
The MQ-9 is a larger, heavier, and more capable aircraft than the earlier General Atomics MQ-1 Predator; it can be controlled by the same ground systems used to control MQ-1s.
A navalized Reaper, named Mariner, was proposed for the U.S. Navy’s Broad Area Maritime Surveillance (BAMS) program. It had an increased fuel capacity for endurance of up to 49 hours.