The Royal Air Force’s (RAF) Protector RG1 remotely piloted aircraft (RPA) has completed its first operational sorties in UK airspace, supporting Royal Navy monitoring of Russian naval movements.
In a release on 31 October, the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) said the unarmed Protector RPA provided more than 10 hours of intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance coverage in support of national maritime tasking.
Go deeper with GlobalData
Discover B2B Marketing That Performs
Combine business intelligence and editorial excellence to reach engaged professionals across 36 leading media platforms.
Protector is the RAF’s first certified remotely piloted air system, designed to be tactically interoperable with Nato assets. Based on General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc’s MQ-9B SkyGuardian, the aircraft is intended to deliver extended range and more than 40 hours’ endurance.
According to the RAF, the aircraft features UK-specific upgrades such as improved data links and provision for weapons including MBDA Brimstone 3A and Raytheon UK Paveway IV, alongside sensors for full-motion video, infrared, synthetic aperture radar, and ground target tracking.
Based at RAF Waddington, Protector will be operated by UK-based RAF crews and could deploy to up to two other locations for MACA, maritime surveillance, and search and rescue.
Defence Secretary Wes Streeting said: “For the first time, Protector has joined Royal Navy warships and helicopters monitoring activity around our shores, demonstrating how we are constantly innovating to monitor and deter threats and irresponsible provocation.”
The latest flights were conducted alongside Royal Navy warships and helicopters operating in and around UK waters.
From 1 to 14 October, Type 45 destroyer HMS Dauntless and offshore patrol vessel HMS Tyne monitored the Russian frigate RFN Neustrashimy during its transit through the English Channel, alongside associated merchant vessels.
During this period, Protector demonstrated its ability to provide persistent surveillance while flying alongside other military and civilian air traffic, the MoD said.
The activity formed part of a wider set of maritime security operations the MoD said took place between late September and mid-October, spanning the English Channel, the North Sea and waters west of Scotland.
Assets involved included HMS Tyne, HMS Dauntless, Wildcat and Merlin helicopters, and Protector aircraft.
As part of Operation Iceblast, Merlin helicopters from Royal Naval Air Station Culdrose deployed to Glasgow Prestwick Airport to support multiple operations.
The MoD said the activity was designed to test the ability of the Merlin Helicopter Force to deploy away from RNAS Culdrose “in force and at short notice”.
Between 29 September and 8 October, the MoD said the Merlin helicopters tracked the Vishnya-class intelligence-gathering vessel Viktor Leonov operating near the Outer Hebrides, in the vicinity of Nato units participating in Exercise Strike Warrior.
The exercise involved more than 2,000 personnel from six nations.
In addition, between 11 and 14 October, HMS Tyne monitored RFN Aleksandr Shabalin as the Ropucha-class landing ship transited the English Channel alongside the cargo vessel MV Energy-2 and the tugboat Proton, with support from a Wildcat helicopter from 815 Naval Air Squadron.
The MoD said Royal Navy activity monitoring Russian movements increased by 25% during the first seven months of 2026 compared with the same period in 2025, describing the work as part of the UK’s “routine contribution” to maritime security and collective Nato defence.
