UK MoD signs Protector support contract with GA-ASI

The UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) has signed a support and sustainment contract with General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc (GA-ASI) for logistics and maintenance of the Royal Air Force’s (RAF’s) Protector RG Mk1 unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) fleet, GA-ASI announced on 9 June 2025.

The contract, known as the UK Protector Availability and Support Solution (UK PASS), will provide ongoing support for the RAF’s Protector fleet, which began flying in the UK in November 2023 and will ultimately number 16 airframes, of which 10 have been delivered so far. UK PASS is a direct commercial sale contract and includes support for the Protector programme’s UAVs, ground control stations and synthetic training systems.

The Protector RG Mk1, which has a wingspan of 24 m, an endurance of more than 30 hours and can be armed with 500 lb (227 kg) Paveway IV laser-guided bombs and Brimstone 3 missiles, is based on GA-ASI’s MQ-9B SkyGuardian UAV.

UK PASS is part of GA-ASI’s SkyGuardian Global Support Solutions (SGSS), which provides support for the entire MQ-9B customer base. SGSS is a shared contractor logistics support (CLS) model, with resources such as labour, material, and overhead for maintenance, supply management and other support functions required to sustain the MQ-9B system, pooled together for use by the entire customer base. This approach provides efficiencies and a lower cost for customers.

“This contract marks an essential milestone in the fielding of the Protector RPA system for the RAF,” Chris Dusseault, GA-ASI’s vice president for the MQ-9B in Europe, was quoted as saying in a company press release. “With the UK PASS contract in place, we can now transition from the test and development phase of the programme to training the RAF flight crews for operations.”

“The awarding of the PASS contract marks three years of intensive work between GA-ASI and UK MoD multi-disciplinary teams to turn a concept in to a reality,” added Group Captain Rich Cameron, the RAF’s Uncrewed Air System 3 Team Leader. “This has generated a first-in-class sustainment solution for the Royal Air Force Protector fleet that exploits contractor-owned inventory from a global common spares pool. This contract differs from a traditional spares and repairs contract, achieving economies of scale via a multi-customer common operating model.”

As well as the UK, the MQ-9B is in service with or has been ordered by Canada, Poland, the Japan Coast Guard and Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force, Taiwan, India and the US Air Force in support of US Special Operations Command.