The United Kingdom reached a milestone in modern military aviation. The Royal Air Force’s (RAF) latest unmanned aerial vehicle, the MQ-9B Protector RG1, was awarded a Military Type Certificate (MTC) by the UK Military Aviation Authority (MAA), officially clearing it for operations in civilian-controlled airspace. This achievement represents the culmination of years of collaborative engineering, safety validation, and policy alignment between General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc. (GA-ASI), the RAF, and UK aviation regulators.
The MQ-9B, the successor to the MQ-9A Reaper, is a remotely piloted aircraft system (RPAS) designed not just for combat effectiveness, but for airworthiness within the most stringent airspace rules in the world. The new certification removes a significant operational limitation: the need for segregated or restricted airspace. Previously, the RAF’s Reapers could only be flown in controlled environments, typically overseas or in temporarily restricted UK corridors. With this MTC, the Protector can now fly in open skies—where civilian airliners, private aircraft, and emergency helicopters operate daily.
“Earning an MTC for MQ-9B was a herculean effort and a seminal achievement for our company,” GA-ASI CEO Linden Blue said in the company’s press release. He noted that the process involved over 120,000 simulated flight hours and generated more than 140,000 pages of technical documentation, using three flight test airframes and a ground test specimen.
This level of documentation is unparalleled in the unmanned aircraft sector. While GA-ASI is a veteran in drone development—producing stalwarts like the MQ-1 Predator and MQ-9 Reaper—securing an MTC demonstrates a leap forward in how unmanned systems integrate with manned aviation. For military and civil aviation communities alike, it is a benchmark.
Recent flight testing leading up to the certification was conducted around RAF Waddington, the aircraft’s UK base of operations. On May 7, a Protector flew under the callsign PHOENIX 55, ascending to over 10,000 feet and performing holding patterns in proximity to the airfield. The following day, PHOENIX 57 expanded operations to RAF Marham, climbing to 21,000 feet—altitude normally occupied by commercial aircraft—before returning safely.
Despite lacking final certification at the time, other air traffic was visibly deconflicted from the Protector’s route, a precautionary measure that underscored the stakes of testing operations in shared airspace. The following day, the MTC was awarded.
RAF Group Captain Neil Venables, representing the Type Airworthiness Authority, described the award as a “first-in-class” certification, emphasizing the scale of the achievement. “It has required years of dedication and perseverance and is a testament to the hard work of all involved,” he said.
Ten of the RAF’s 16 ordered Protectors have already been delivered, according to GA-ASI. The remaining six are expected to arrive before the MQ-9A Reaper fleet is formally retired later this year. While RAF Waddington serves as the nominal headquarters for both aircraft types, most Reaper flights have been launched and controlled from overseas ground stations due to UK airspace restrictions.
With the Reapers due for withdrawal by December 2025, the pressure is now on to ensure the Protectors can achieve operational readiness, both domestically and abroad. The arrival of this new system marks a transformational moment for the RAF’s intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition, and reconnaissance (ISTAR) capabilities.
The UK is the lead customer for the MQ-9B, a platform built to meet NATO Standardized Agreement 4671 (STANAG 4671)—a standard for airworthiness in unmanned aircraft. This alignment with NATO protocols simplifies certification among other alliance members and partner countries, including Belgium, Canada, Poland, Japan, India, and Taiwan, all of which have expressed interest or placed orders for the drone.
Unlike its predecessor, the MQ-9B is equipped with features more typically found on crewed aircraft. These include anti-icing systems, lightning protection, and fire-resistant components. Additionally, its critical flight systems are isolated from mission software to protect against interference or failure. These upgrades are crucial to earning flight clearance in civilian airspace, where safety standards are non-negotiable.
Although often viewed through a combat lens, the MQ-9B’s capabilities extend far beyond kinetic operations. With full access to non-segregated airspace, the Protector can support UK-based training exercises and domestic crisis response missions under the Military Aid to Civil Authorities (MACA) framework.
Under MACA, military assets are available to support civilian agencies during emergencies such as natural disasters, large-scale evacuations, or terrorist incidents. The Protector’s long endurance, high-resolution sensors, and real-time communications suite make it well-suited for disaster monitoring, environmental assessments, or search and rescue missions.
Its electro-optical/infrared (EO/IR) and synthetic aperture radar systems allow the drone to see through smoke, fog, and foliage—an essential feature during wildfires or landslides. Future upgrades are expected to include additional signals intelligence and communications payloads, expanding its non-combat applications.
The Protector RG1 will bring updated weaponry to RAF unmanned operations. Unlike the MQ-9A Reaper, which primarily relied on the GBU-12 Paveway II and AGM-114 Hellfire missiles, the Protector will carry the more modern Paveway IV and Brimstone 3.
Paveway IV is a dual-mode precision-guided munition (PGM) combining GPS/INS navigation with a laser guidance system, allowing for flexible targeting under different weather and combat conditions. Based on the 500-pound Mark 82 bomb, it has been used extensively by the RAF’s Typhoon and F-35B Lightning II jets. It provides greater accuracy and reduced collateral damage compared to its predecessor.
Brimstone 3, scheduled for integration onto Protector by the fourth quarter of 2025, is an advanced missile featuring improved warhead and targeting systems. It is guided by both laser and millimeter wave radar, allowing for “fire-and-forget” engagements and moving target tracking. With the ability to carry three Brimstone missiles per hardpoint and up to 18 in total, the Protector will have unprecedented strike capability for an unmanned platform.
This configuration enables it to support close air support (CAS) missions, anti-armor operations, and maritime strike tasks. Brimstone’s track record in combat, especially in minimizing unintended damage, fits well with the UK’s rules of engagement and emphasis on ethical use of force.
The ability to operate over the UK also opens up new possibilities for the way the military trains and integrates with civilian systems. Civil-military coordination, especially with air traffic control and emergency services, becomes far more feasible when drones like the Protector are no longer limited to isolated zones.
This shift is also a test for the UK’s wider integration of unmanned and autonomous systems in both defence and civilian infrastructure. If the Protector proves to be a reliable, safe, and versatile aircraft in peacetime missions, it could pave the way for increased public trust and policy support for unmanned platforms across sectors—from border patrol to disaster response.
As the first nation to award an MTC to the MQ-9B, the UK is now a model for others considering similar certifications. For partners like Canada and Belgium, who are acquiring the platform but have not yet cleared it for their own airspace, the UK’s experience offers a roadmap.
The certification process may also influence procurement decisions in countries on the fence about whether to invest in manned or unmanned systems. The ability to operate drones in conventional airspace dramatically increases their value—particularly for countries where operational areas are close to domestic airspace or where deploying overseas is politically sensitive.
The certification of the MQ-9B Protector RG1 is more than a technical milestone—it marks a turning point in how militaries use unmanned systems at home and abroad. For the RAF, it closes the chapter on the Reaper era and begins a new phase of drone operations characterized by flexibility, safety, and advanced capability.
Whether in combat zones, crisis response missions, or training sorties above British countryside, the Protector RG1 stands ready to define the next generation of airpower.
