Protector set to arrive in UK next month
The UK Royal Air Force’s incoming Protector RG Mk.1 UAS is expected to make an appearance at this year’s Royal International Air Tattoo, with the aircraft set to arrive in the UK on 11 July.
The UAS will fly non-stop from North Dakota in the US to reach the UK, where it will land at RAF Fairford.
Set to enter service in the early 2020s, Protector has been designed, built and certified by GA-ASI against stringent NATO and UK Safety Certification standards equivalent to manned aircraft.
Protector RG Mk.1 will replace the RAF’s Reaper fleet with enhanced armed surveillance abilities, including extended range, increased payload and planned integration of UK weapons. The UAS will support a range of homeland defence tasks, including global ISTAR, search and rescue, disaster monitoring or flood prevention activities.
Related Equipment in Defence Insight
More from Uncrewed Vehicles
-
Cummings Aerospace showcases Hellhound loitering munition designed for US Army’s LASSO programme (video)
Cummings Aerospace presented its turbojet-powered Hellhound loitering munition at SOF Week 2025, offering a man-portable solution aligned with the US Army’s LASSO requirements.
-
SOF Week 2025: PDW unveils attritable FPV drone for SOF operations at scale
PDW has revealed its Attritable Multirotor First Person View drone at SOF Week 2025, offering special operations forces a low-cost, rapidly deployable platform for strike and ISR missions, inspired by battlefield lessons from Ukraine.
-
SOF Week 2025: Teledyne FLIR white paper provides guidance on reusable loitering munitions
Teledyne FLIR is highlighting the emerging requirements for 'recoverable and re-usable' loitering munitions across the contemporary operating environment during this week’s SOF Week conference in Tampa, Florida.
-
SOF Week 2025: Kraken Technology group debuts K3 Scout USV in North America
High-performance maritime industry player Kraken Technology Group, based in the UK, has used the SOF Week conference in Tampa, Florida this week to debut its K3 Scout uncrewed surface vessel (USV) to the North American market.
-
Palladyne AI and Red Cat to demonstrate capabilities for autonomous drone swarms to the US military
Red Cat and Palladyne AI recently conducted a cross-platform collaborative flight involving three diverse heterogeneous drones.
-
Jammer resistant drone designs spark search for countermeasures
The Russia-Ukraine conflict has driven another stage of evolution for drones and the counter measures to defend against them.