Atomics Protector RG1 remotely piloted
air system (RPAS) units respectively.
The RAF now has approximately 40
Tornado GR4s still in service. The last of
them are set to be retired in March 2019.
Hillier said that No IX(B) Squadron at RAF
Marham will be stood down as a Tornado
operator before being immediately re-
formed as the fourth Typhoon unit at RAF
Lossiemouth.
No IX(B) Squadron will operate Tranche 1
Typhoons and will join No 12(B) Squadron,
which is re-forming as a joint RAF-Qatari
training unit. The RAF asserts that a third
new Typhoon unit is also planned — as
set out in SDSR 2015 — using the early
Tranche 1 RAF Typhoons that have been
spared from retirement. Combat Aircraft
understands that No IX(B) Squadron willbe tasked primarily with air defense and
aggressor duties.Protector comes to the UK
The Royal International Air Tattoo at RAF
Fairford, UK, saw the arrival of a Protector
trials aircraft from the US, paired with the
announcement that RAF Waddington will
be the main operating base for the aircraft.
The aircraft that ew to Fairford was the
General Atomics MQ-9B SkyGuardian
medium-altitude, long-endurance (MALE)
prototype. It landed in the UK on July
11 to become the rst MALE RPAS to
successfully complete a trans-Atlantic
ight. The GA-ASI-owned MQ-9B took
o from Grand Forks AFB, North Dakota,
and covered 3,760nm in 24 hours and
two minutes.The MQ-9B has been selected by the
RAF as the Protector RG1. It is aimed to
give the UK ‘a capability for deep and
persistent armed surveillance, target
acquisition, and reconnaissance.’
The ight to Fairford achieved
a number of rsts. It was the rst
mission entirely controlled by satellite
communications in British airspace. The
aircraft was controlled by pilots sitting
in North Dakota as the aircraft ew over
Canada, across the Atlantic and around
southern Ireland before reaching the UK
mainland in west Wales.
The MQ-9B is the next generation
of GA-ASI’s multi-mission Predator B
eet. GA-ASI named its baseline MQ-9B
aircraft SkyGuardian, and the maritime
surveillance variant SeaGuardian.
MQ-9B is a ‘type-certi able’ (STANAG
4671-compliant) version of the MQ-
Predator B. Its development is the result
of a ve-year, company-funded e ort
to produce an RPAS that can meet the
stringent airworthiness type certi cation
requirements of various military and
civil authorities, including the UK
Military Aviation Authority (MAA) and
the US FAA.
Speaking at RIAT, Air Commodore
Ian Gale, assistant chief of sta for
capability delivery, command andAbove: An
infographic of
the various key
elements of Team
Tempest.
BAE Systems
Below left: The
key partners in
Team Tempest
sign a head of
terms agreement
on the new fi ghter.
BAE Systems
Right: Wearing
No 31 Squadron
markings,
the General
Atomics MQ-9B
SkyGuardian,
N190TC, was
shown on
static display
at RAF Fairford
during the Royal
International Air
Tattoo.
Jamie Hunter16 September 2018 //^ http://www.combataircraft.net
SPECIAL REPORT // UK COMBAT AIR STRATEGY
14-17 UK Combat Air C.indd 16 20/07/2018 15: