09 Sep 21. The Chief of the Air Staff Air Chief Marshal Sir Mike Wigston speech at RAF Waddington for Sky Guardia Thank you for your confirmation of the near £100 million investment in RAF Waddington’s state of the art operating and training facilities for Protector.
It’s a clear demonstration of the UK government’s commitment to this exciting programme and our ambition to be the International Training Centre for some of the 30 allied Air Forces who have already expressed interest in Protector and the Sky Guardian.
The Sky Guardian aircraft that you’re about to see get airborne is representative of the 16 Protectors that we’ve ordered and there’ll be based and operating from RAF Waddington as you’ve just heard from 2023.
Protector is a giant leap forward in technology and aircraft performance over its predecessor Reaper; it can fly further for longer, for many more places around the world with a much wider range of potential missions from flood monitoring to maritime patrol, to strikes on violent extremists who would do us harm.
Equipped with cutting edge sensors, automatic take-off landing and flight modes and UK weapons, this aircraft will enable our government to act on a world stage within hours at range and precisely.
Over the next few weeks we’ll be working with the Civil Aviation Authority, civilian authorities, and allies to confirm our ability to operate this aircraft freely in UK and international airspace.
We will also confirm its enormous operational utility from assisting local authorities to supporting maritime operations in the North Atlantic. This aircraft offers significant opportunities, it offers opportunities for collaboration with our international allies with widespread interest in this aircraft in NATO and around the world, the opportunities for future collaboration are vast.
The International Training Centre will help us train alongside our partner air forces, starting with the Belgian Air Force, and provides us with this valuable opportunity to share our years of combat experience operating these remotely piloted air systems.
I’m also delighted that the Protector programme is investing substantially in UK industry. The collaboration between the Royal Air Force, General Atomics and 12 UK industry partners will see £400 million reinvested into the UK economy, with the potential to rise to £1 billion over the course of the programme.
UK industry has contributed to every part of the aircraft system, from computer modules to the V tails, to engine development, weapons and logistical support.
As a military leader, and as you’ve just heard from Secretary of State, I need to be ready to provide our decision makers with operational choice and ultimately, the ability to fight and win when deterrence and political discourse has run its course.
That requires a Royal Air Force able and willing to pioneer advances in technology like Protector and integrate it swiftly and seamlessly into our force.
RAF’s next-generation Remotely Piloted Aircraft takes to UK skies
A pre-production example of the UK’s new Protector aircraft has taken to the UK skies as part of preparations for the arrival of Protector to RAF Waddington.
The air station has been selected as the home of the Protector International Training Centre, as part of a £94 million investment into infrastructure improvements to assist with housing the aircraft ahead of its entry into service in 2024.
The UK has ordered 16 Protector aircraft from General Atomics-Aeronautical Systems Inc (GA-ASI), all of which will be based at RAF Waddington, the RAF’s ISTAR hub.
Speaking at RAF Waddington, Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said, “Today marks a huge milestone in the Protector programme, bringing us one step closer to delivering this world-leading capability to the RAF. This £94 million investment cements RAF Waddington’s place as the UK’s ISTAR hub, ensuring our Protector fleet can operate safely and effectively for many years to come.
A key feature of the investment at RAF Waddington will be the development of a new campus which will include the Protector International Training Centre.Housing the Synthetic Training System for the aircraft, the Centre will enable crews from the RAF and international partners to conduct a significant amount of their training in a secure environment, linking in future with the Defence Collective Training environment under the UK Gladiator programme.
The new campus will support many jobs in the local area, with contracts awarded in the coming months for infrastructure improvements at the base. The campus will feature new Single Living Accommodation for Protector ground crews, a hangar, office facilities, a new road to the Protector area of RAF Waddington and a new taxiway. Operating this summer from the Lincolnshire station, the SkyGuardian aircraft has undertaken a number of sorties showcasing its impressive capabilities while also providing vital information for personnel at RAF Waddington preparing for the aircraft’s permanent arrival in 2024. SkyGuardian will be known as Protector when it enters RAF service.
Today’s investment marks an important step in the development of the revolutionary Detect and Avoid technology, permitting Protector to fly in unsegregated airspace safely – as the world’s first Medium Altitude Long Endurance (MALE) Remotely Piloted Aircraft System, Protector will significantly boost the RAF’s armed Intelligence, Surveillance, Target Acquisition, and Reconnaissance (ISTAR) capability.
The UK’s Protector programme and the investment at RAF Waddington form part of commitments outlined in the Defence Command Paper to ensure the RAF are equipped to face future threats. This is further enhanced by the £24 billion increase in defence spending over the next four years announced by the Prime Minister last November.
Chief of the Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal Sir Mike Wigston said, “The Protector aircraft is a huge leap forward in performance and autonomous technology. It can fly for 40 hours anywhere in the world, providing critical surveillance and precision strike to protect the UK and our allies. As the lead customer for this aircraft, I am delighted the Royal Air Force is once again at the cutting edge of air power innovation.
SkyGuardian’s visit to the UK has also enabled refinement of the requirements needed to fully integrate Protector operations into Waddington, where personnel will be able to deploy the aircraft across the globe whenever and wherever needed.
Protector will be able to conduct missions of up to 40 hours and fly in non-segregated civil airspace allowing it to respond rapidly and offer flexibility to deliver an array of military missions and support to civil authorities, including search and rescue.
While in the UK, pilots from GA-ASI have been operating the aircraft. Later this month they will participate in Joint Warrior, a multi-national large-scale military exercise.
The UK Protector programme involves 12 UK industry partners and brings together world-leading technology and service providers to work with GA-ASI, with £400 million being reinvested into UK industry supporting over 200 UK jobs.