Ukraine will not receive the UK’s MQ-9A Reaper drones when they leave service, the UK government has confirmed, a state hardly surprising given the complexity of operating such advanced uncrewed systems.
On current planning, as of mid-March this year, the UK Ministry of Defence said its ten-strong MQ-9A fleet will remain operational until “later in 2025”, when it will leave service to be replaced by the MQ-9B Protector.
This is a delay from an expected initial operating capability for the UK Protector, originally scheduled to be achieved in 2024.
Regarding the fate of the outgoing UK Reapers, Marie Eagle, UK Defence Procurement Minister, said in a UK parliamentary response on 23 April that there were “no plans” to donate any MQ-9A Reaper drones to Ukraine.
Building up a capability to operate platforms as advanced as the MQ-9A would take Ukraine a number of years and require static infrastructure that would be targeted by Russian long-range missiles. The Reapers would also be vulnerable to crewed fighters while on operations
The MQ-9A fleet has been operational with the UK Royal Air Force (RAF) since the late-2000s, seeing active service in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Syria.
Coming soon: MQ-9B Protector RG Mk1
In February this year the UK’s new MQ-9B fleet, which will be known as the Protector RG Mk1 in service, had resumed flight testing with the RAF with four of the aircraft having been delivered.
Up to 16-MQ-9B aircraft will be acquired from US company General Atomics, which also produced the Reaper airframe.
The Protector can operate at altitudes of up to 40,000ft and have more than 30 hours of flight endurance. The type can be fitted with precision strike weapons such as Brimstone and the Paveway IV laser guided bomb, although its primary mission will likely be Intelligence, Surveillance, Target Acquisition, and Reconnaissance (ISTAR) roles.
A particular advancement of the Protector RG Mk1 over the legacy Reaper is its ability to operate in civil airspace due to its advanced sense-and-avoid technology.
The February resumption of test flights – the second UK flight for Protector – marked part of phase three of the test and evaluation programme and the start of key integration and operational testing.
Currently in the hands of the RAF’s 56 Sqn (Test & Evaluation), once in service the MQ-9B fleet will be operated by 31 and 54 Sqn.
Unlike the UK’s Reapers, which was controlled by RAF personnel stationed at Holloman Air Force Base in New Mexico, the Protector fleet will be operated from RAF Waddington.
