Predator B drone selected as Reaper replacement

The UK has announced that it will place an order for the certifiable Predator B as part of its Protector MALE UAV programme.

In order to comply with European flight regulations, General Atomics has modified the Reaper platform into the certifiable Predator B, which will be used by the RAF by the end of the decade, in an attempt to get more sales by European countries.

The 79ft wingspan, remotely piloted planes will be able to circle over and spy on targets for nearly two days, while sophisticated new flight computers mean they will be able to fly in bad weather and survive ice, lightning and bird strikes.

According to the 2015 Strategic Defence and Security Review, the Royal Air Force will operate at least 20 Protector systems by 2025, replacing all of its current 10 MQ-9 Reapers.

A statement from the Ministry of Defence (MoD) said: “The Unmanned Air Systems Team of the UK Ministry of Defence intends to acquire the Protector unmanned aerial system through a government-government Foreign Military Sales contract with the US Department of Defense (DoD).

“The MoD has conducted a thorough Assessment Phase that has concluded that the CPB is the only system capable of achieving UK Military Type Certification and delivering the Protector requirement within the required timescales. The only means of acquiring the CPB is through a contract with the US DoD.”

A Ministry of Defence spokeswoman, quoted in The Telegraph, said the Protector drones ‘will provide cutting edge intelligence gathering capability and help keep our country safe. They are a key part of our £178 billion equipment plan, backed by a defence budget that will increase every year from now until the end of the decade’.