Although no official remark has been made, sources knowledgeable Janes and Aviation Week that the RAF’s MQ-9A fleet was withdrawn on Sept. 30, because the MQ-9B Protector RG1 readies for operational deployment.
Primarily based completely abroad for his or her total service profession, the Royal Air Drive’s fleet of MQ-9A Reaper unmanned aerial autos (UAVs) have been one of the vital extensively used instruments through the UK’s operations in Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, and the broader Center East. Greater than 150,000 hours have been flown by RAF Reapers throughout these operations, with reside airstrikes persevering with alongside their intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) mission by to this yr.
We reported in September because the RAF introduced it was making ready to deploy its new MQ-9B Protector RG1 – a improvement of the Reaper airframe – that the MQ-9A fleet had been topic an in-service help contract that had a listed expiry of Sept. 30, 2025. Regardless of some suggestion that this may very well be prolonged to cowl any hole between the Reaper’s withdrawal and the Protector’s full introduction, it seems this feature was not taken.
Operation Shader is the UK’s response to counter Daesh (ISIS).
The mission entails all three companies, with RAF missions performed utilizing the @Eurofighter Storm and @GenAtomics_ASI MQ-9A Reaper.
Discover out extra: pic.twitter.com/hf2P7snbbB
— Royal Air Drive (@RoyalAirForce) March 4, 2025
Aviation Week first broke the information of the sort’s withdrawal on Sept. 30, with Janes following on Oct. 1. As each retailers talked about, no official, public announcement has been forthcoming from the RAF or the broader Ministry of Defence relating to the MQ-9A’s sunset regardless of the plane’s very profitable 18 years of service. The Reaper was flown by the RAF’s 39 and XIII (13) squadrons. 39 Squadron was based mostly alongside U.S. Reaper items at Creech Air Drive Base, Nevada, till standing down in 2022, which left XIII Squadron, based mostly at RAF Waddington, UK, to handle all persevering with Reaper operations by to retirement.
In contrast to the MQ-9A, the MQ-9B, or Protector RG1 as it’s designated in UK service, has acquired a full navy kind certificates from the UK’s Navy Aviation Authority. This allows the Protector RG1 fleet to operated in customary, unsegregated airspace alongside common air site visitors, due to the plane’s elevated degree of redundancies and extra techniques fitted to the plane’s floor management stations (GCS). As such, Protector RG1s have been capable of function instantly from their house base at RAF Waddington, whereas all RAF MQ-9 flights have been from abroad ahead working places. From a central hub at Waddington, Protectors may be dispatched for operations worldwide by airlift and sealift, in addition to supply help contained in the UK to coaching workouts and to civilian companies, if needed.
The entire variety of MQ-9As in service with the RAF fluctuated over time because of various airframes being misplaced, and subsequently changed, however the notional fleet comprised 10 plane. In keeping with knowledge from the UK Serials Useful resource Centre, 14 MQ-9A plane have been assigned UK navy serial numbers, two of which have been recognized to have been written off and an extra two reported as de-registered.
16 Protector RG1s have been ordered to exchange the Reapers. As of the final replace in June, 4 Protector plane have been delivered to RAF Waddington with six extra airframes energetic within the U.S. for take a look at and analysis. The primary operational unit to face up with the Protector RG1 was 31 Squadron, recognized by their nickname ‘The Goldstars’. 31 Squadron beforehand flew Twister GR4s up till their disbandment alongside the retirement of the Twister in March 2019. Once more in contrast to the Reapers, the Protector plane have, for now at the least, been embellished with squadron markings. Alongside standard RAF coverage these would possible be stripped earlier than deploying abroad. It’s not clear when the primary deployment will start, or whether or not it has already begun with out disclosure.
Entry into RAF service was formally declared in June 2025.
Protector RG Mk1, the UK variant of #MQ9B SkyGuardian®, has entered service with the @RoyalAirForce. The Protector program will ship a innovative #RPAS for the UK, changing the present Reaper® functionality. #UCAV #UAV pic.twitter.com/sqKyNu1sgP
— Basic Atomics Aeronautical Techniques, Inc (GA-ASI) (@GenAtomics_ASI) June 26, 2025
As with the MQ-9A, the MQ-9B carries an electro-optical/infrared digital camera turret and multi-mode radar as customary. Present weapon sorts in use will likely be carried over, possible together with any podded ISR capabilities. Model new capabilities are additionally in improvement for the MQ-9B, together with airborne early warning (AEW) pods, airborne laser techniques, and extra. The plane has been ordered by various European international locations, with the sort’s designed suitability for unsegregated airspace being a gorgeous function for smaller international locations with a lot much less of a capability to create giant expanses of UAV particular airspace.
Full working functionality (FOC) for the RAF’s MQ-9B fleet is predicted to be declared in 2026.
