Ground Support Equipment Also Tested
The Acceptance Test Procedures (ATP) for the first Protector RG Mk1 UAS have been completed, enabling handover of the aircraft to the Royal Air Force – the launch customer for General Atomic Aeronautical Systems Inc’s (GA-ASI) MQ-9B.
Specifically configured to meet RAF requirements, the aircraft was accepted by Air Vice Marshal Simon Ellard, Director Combat Air at Defence Equipment and Support. “We now look forward to the first delivery of this highly capable aircraft type to RAF Waddington during 2023,” he said. Air Commodore Alex Hicks added “The aircraft will be used to train RAF technicians how to maintain the capability, prior to the arrival of the first aircraft in the UK next year.”
ATP were performed jointly by UK MoD and GA-ASI and included all inspections and tests performed on the hardware in operation for the aircraft and in conformance with the functional specification and technical requirements. Over the past two months, ATP has been conducted at GA-ASI’s Desert Horizon flight operations facility in El Mirage, CA. The aircraft will remain in the US to support maintenance and pilot training.
ATP were also completed on the first two sets of Portable Pre-flight and Post-flight Equipment (P3Es) – a laptop-sized ground support equipment that enables SATCOM automatic taxi, take-off and landing capability from anywhere in the world and providing agile deployment with emergency divert field landing, greatly reducing the personnel and equipment fielding footprint.
