UK Royal Air Force Expands Protector Drone Fleet: Reaching Nearly 50% Strength by End of 2024

The UK Royal Air Force’s RG Mk1 Protector drone fleet will reach nearly 50% of its planned strength by the end of 2024.

This progress comes with the recent arrival and assembly of the second aircraft in the UK, which will soon be followed by the delivery of five additional airframes.

According to a 22 July release from the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD), engineers from 31 Squadron RAF have completed the build and initial testing of this second aircraft. Further tests and evaluations are scheduled over the coming months.

Transition from Reaper to Protector

The RAF, in collaboration with Defence Equipment & Support (DE&S), expects to receive five more aircraft by the end of 2024. This influx of drones will pave the way for establishing aircrew and technician training in the UK.

The RG Mk1 Protector drones, UK variants of the MQ-9B SkyGuardian developed by General Atomics Aeronautical Systems (GA-ASI), will gradually take over operations from the MQ-9A Reaper fleet in 2025. Unlike their predecessors, these drones are transported to the UK and assembled locally, rather than flying over from the GA-ASI manufacturing sites in the US.

Fleet Expansion and Training

The MoD has stated that this delivery marks a busy period for the Protector program. Initial flight testing with the first aircraft was conducted in November 2023. Training initially took place at GA-ASI’s facilities in the US, using three RAF-owned RPAS.

The Protector Technician Course began in February 2024, and the first Protector crews graduated from the Operational Conversion Unit (OCU) in April.

Training will transition to the UK later this year, utilizing newly completed infrastructure at RAF Waddington, the home base for the Protector fleet. An international MQ-9B symposium was hosted by the RAF at RAF Cranwell in April, highlighting the growing importance of these drones.

Enhancing ISR Capabilities

Simon Holford, Uncrewed Air Systems Delivery Team Leader at DE&S, noted, “Together with the three aircraft we have already taken delivery of in the US (which remain in the US for use in trials and/or training), we have now taken delivery of five of the 16 aircraft we have ordered.”

Equipped with advanced equipment and precision strike weapons, the Protector drones will provide enhanced intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) capabilities. A key feature of these drones is their ability to fly in unsegregated airspace, thanks to detect-and-avoid technology, with a potential endurance of more than 30 hours.

The Protector program also involves expanding 54 Squadron’s capabilities and constructing new infrastructure at RAF Waddington, including a training center for both UK and international students. The RAF maintains a high level of secrecy around its MQ-9B and RG Mk1 Protector drone operations, with little public acknowledgment of their roles or locations.

It is believed that the MQ-9B fleet operates from the UK and overseas bases in the Middle East, such as the UAE, Qatar, or Oman. Due to the remote nature of these aircraft, they can be controlled from different countries, allowing multiple crews to switch during long-endurance missions.

Budget and Future Prospects

In October 2023, it was reported that the program’s budget had increased from the 2016 Main Gate Business Case, which initially approved a whole-life cost of £1.24bn ($1.6bn) with a 50% confidence.

By March 2023, the whole-life cost projection exceeded £1.76bn, including a £325m increase in acquisition costs and around £190m in through-life costs.

Despite these financial adjustments, the UK remains committed to bolstering its drone capabilities and ensuring the RAF’s operational readiness in the face of evolving threats. The continued expansion of the Protector fleet underscores this commitment and highlights the strategic importance of unmanned aerial systems in modern military operations.

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