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Unmanned Systems

Protector Drone Achieves First Flight, As General Atomics Looks for RAF Delivery Next Summer

Frank Wolfe

Monday, September 28th, 2020

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Protector Drone Achieves First Flight, As General Atomics Looks for RAF Delivery Next Summer

The RG Mk1 Protector for the Royal Air Force is a customized version of the MQ-9B (General Atomics Photo)

The General Atomics' RG Mk1 Protector drone, the fourth MQ-9B SkyGuardian air vehicle, achieved first flight on Sept. 25, the company said, as it awaits system testing of the drone by a U.K. Ministry of Defense, U.S. Air Force, General Atomics' team in expectation of delivery to the Royal Air Force (RAF) next summer. Labeled UK1, the first Protector drone has "a special customer specified configuration" for Intelligence, Surveillance, Target Acquisition and Reconnaissance (ISTAR), per General Atomics. General Atomics said…

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