- Yes
- No
Protector RG Mk 1
Welcome to my suggestion for the Protector RG Mk 1, a British variant of the MQ-9B Reaper, for the UK tech tree, to give it some spice.
History
The UK’s history with the MQ-9 drone series began in January 2004 with RAF personnel joining 1115 Flight formed under the Combined Joint Predator Task Force, this embedded UK personnel in US Predator operations. RAF operations began in 2007 working from Creech Air Force Base, Nevada to fly drones over Afghanistan, with the first RAF drone strike being in 2008.
In 2012 five additional aircraft were ordered and 13 Squadron was re-formed to operate the Reaper from RAF Waddington. The MQ-9A was due to go out of service in 2015, but was required for Operation Shader and so remain in use till today. However in 2016 the UK MoD announced the selection of the Protector drone based on the MQ-9B Reaper.
The maiden flight of the new drone was in 2020 in the US, with the first drone being delivered to the UK in 2023 and the second in early 2024 with 5 more aircraft to be delivered by the end of this year.
The first eight to be delivered will enable an Initial Operating Capability scheduled for 2025 at RAF Waddington, with an additional eight on order to bring the fleet up to sixteen.
Specifications/Armament
Technical Specs:
Wingspan: 79ft (24m)
Length: 37.5ft (11.43m)
Height: 12ft (3.66m)
Max Take Off Weight: 12,500lbs
Hard Points: 6
Performance:
Engine: Honeywell TPE331-10 Turboprop
Service Ceiling: 40,000ft
Range: 40hrs+
Max Speed: 210 ktas / 242 mph / 389 kph
Armament:
Raytheon Paveway IV laser-guided bombs and MBDA Brimstone 3 missiles
The Protector in game
Since the drone age update in September of 2022, there have only been 3 available strike drones, the MQ-1, Orion and Wing-loong I, with the majority of countries having the MQ-1, the UK included. So by adding the Protector RG Mk 1 we would get a wider variety of drones and it would push the capabilities of current strike drones in top tier further with new ordnance as currently the strike drones in game are quite pants with the advancement of top tier SPAA and so to make them viable again new limits must be reached.
Sources/Links
Protector RG MK1 | General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc.
https://www.raf.mod.uk/news/articles/uk-protector-fleet-grows-as-trials-continue/
RAF Protector: What is this aircraft and what can it do?
RAF Protector RPA to operate from RAF Waddington - Military Airshows News & Press Releases - Drone, RAF Protector
https://www.raf.mod.uk/aircraft/reaper-mq9a/
https://31association.co.uk/sqn_aircraft/protector-rg-mk1/
https://www.airforce-technology.com/projects/protector-rg-mk1-mq-9b-rpas-united-kingdom/?cf-view