Airforces

specific product, rather being the overarching
name of the project, which was expected
to culminate with a competition to select a
system. With the Prime Minister now backing
the project, the prospects looked good for
the newly named Protector to get formal
endorsement in the UK’s defence review, which
was due to report later in the year. “We are
not talking about anything that is going to be
in service or in action in the Middle East in a
matter of months,” said the officer. “This is a
long-term deliberate procurement project and
that will take years before anything is ready.”

Certifi able Predator B
At the time of Cameron’s announcement,
on the other side of the Atlantic, the Aircraft
Systems Group of General Atomics was
working on an enhanced Reaper that could

meet the RAF’s needs. The privately owned

company created the iconic Predator and

its improved Reaper offspring, and offered

a long tradition of anticipating customer

demand for product improvements and

being ready to rapidly bring them on line.

“We can evolve our products quickly, so

we’re able to sell them to customers when

opportunities arise,” Dave Alexander, President

of General Atomics – Aeronautical Systems

Inc’s (GA-ASI’s) Aircraft Systems Group told

AFM. “We lean forward to be in the right place

at the right time. We came on the scene with

the Predator, which was perfect for the fight at

the time. We have integrated a new payload

on our aircraft each month.” He added: “I

led the design team that built the Predator

B. That was the aircraft that separated

us from our competition for 12 years.”

The Predator became the signature weapon

system of contemporary US and coalition

military campaigns. Alexander described

it as “revolutionary” and having “changed

warfare” through installing a satellite datalink

to enable a global span of operations

and then the integration of weapons to

provide a precision strike capability.

“We led the way on SATCOM [satellite

communications] and weapons – we

were the first with both,” he enthused.

“Sixty of our platforms are flying every

second of every day in support of US and

coalition operations around the world.”

Since the US Air Force first used armed

Predators in combat in Afghanistan in 2001,

GA-ASI has experienced an insatiable demand

for the platform, and then for enhancements

to its weapons, sensors, communications,

engine and airframe. The surge in demand for

GA-ASI products has swelled the company’s

headcount from 500 people in 2001 to around

8,100 today. In 2009, GA-ASI relocated to a

new 500,000sq ft (46,451m^2 ) facility, which

Alexander said it has now outgrown.

Just as the RAF was working up its

requirements for a successor to the Reaper,

General Atomics was investing money into

its latest product, which was then known as

the Certifiable Predator B (CPB). It eventually

became the MQ-9B Sky Guardian in the US

and Protector when developed for the UK.

The aim was to evolve the existing MQ-9 (also

known as Predator B) into a product that not

only offered doubled range and weapons

payload, but also boasted enhanced sensor

performance, and, crucially, was certified to

fly in civilian airspace. This was intended to

open the door for existing military users and

new civilian organisations to use the system

for non-traditional roles. The entire unmanned

aerial vehicle (UAV) system will be certified,

including the ground stations. Certifiable

Predator B could contribute to border and

environmental monitoring, supporting disaster

and humanitarian relief missions, and conduct

military operations, even in regions that are

heavily congested with civilian air traffic routes.

To meet European airworthiness

requirements, the whole privately funded

certifiable project involved a root-and-branch

Main picture: A computer-generated image of
an RAF Protector armed with Brimstone missiles
and Paveway bombs. The MOD is investing
£100m to integrate the MBDA Brimstone 2 and
Raytheon Paveway IV dual-mode guided bomb.
MBDA/Andrea Izzotti
Bottom right: An RAF Reaper is prepared for
a training mission over the US west coast at
Creech Air Force Base, Nevada. Unlike its
predecessor, the Protector will be able to fl y both
training and operational missions from the UK.
Crown Copyright

Right: The fi rst

Certifi able Predator

B conducted its

initial test fl ight at

the General Atomics

Gray Butte Flight

Operations Facility near

Palmdale, California,

on November 17, 2016.

General Atomics

http://www.airforcesmonthly.com #359 FEBRUARY 2018 // 9595