First Flight of Second British Protector RG Mk1 RPA in August

The Royal Air Force (RAF) is set to see the first flight of its second Protector RG Mk1 Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPA) in August at RAF Waddington.

The RAF now has two Protectors operational within the UK. These aircraft are based on the MQ-9B SkyGuardian, developed by General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI), and are customized for the RAF's requirements.

GA-ASI has delivered a total of 10 Protectors to the RAF out of a total order of 16. Currently, eight of these aircraft are in the United States, where they are undergoing crew training, testing, and evaluation. The RAF recently completed training for its first cadre of aircrew on April 29, 2024, at GA-ASI’s Flight Test and Training Center in North Dakota. This training focused on essential skills for operating the Protector, including its advanced systems such as the Multi-Spectral Targeting System and Synthetic Aperture Radar.

In addition to aircrew training, RAF maintainers completed the Protector Technicians course in California on May 16, 2024. This course equipped 21 new maintainers from Number 31 Squadron, who supported training flights for aircrew undergoing operational conversion in North Dakota.

The MQ-9B system boasts features like long endurance, SATCOM-only controlled auto takeoff and landing, and the ability to operate in unsegregated airspace through the Detect and Avoid system developed by GA-ASI.