A £195million contract for a further 13 cutting-edge Protector aircraft has been signed, the news of which was announced by Defence Minister Jeremy Quin at GKN Aerospace in East Cowes on Thursday.
Isle of Wight workers are manufacturing key parts of the Remotely Piloted Aircraft System (RPAS) aircraft, which will go on to provide critical surveillance capability for the RAF.
The Protectors will be equipped with a suite of surveillance equipment and precision strike weapons to deploy against potential adversaries around the globe, all while being operated from RAF Waddington in Lincolnshire.
16 aircraft have now been ordered from General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc (GA-ASI) and are expected to enter service with the RAF by mid-2024, doubling the capability currently provided by Reaper. The investment also includes 4 additional ground control stations and associated support equipment.
At GKN Aerospace’s East Cowes site, Minister Quin saw first-hand how the programme benefits UK industry as they manufacture the V-tails for Protector and other SkyGuardian variants for customers across the world, including Belgium and Australia, following their partnership with GA-ASI.
Defence Minister Jeremy Quin said:
“Our fleet of sixteen Protector aircraft equipped with ultra-modern technology will provide the RAF with a vast global reach allowing us to monitor and protect the battlespace for hours on end.
“The Protector programme involves industry across the UK with vital parts of the aircraft manufactured on the Isle of Wight, supporting highly-skilled jobs for years to come.”
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Protector will have to meet stringent NATO and UK safety certification standards meaning it could operate in civilian airspace. It therefore will also be available, if requested, to support civilian agencies in the UK, for example in search and rescue and disaster response missions.
The fleet will also have advanced anti-icing and lightning protection, providing the RAF with unprecedented flexibility to operate in adverse weather conditions.
The aircraft will use enhanced data links and carry next-generation, low collateral, precision strike weapons – the UK-made Brimstone missile and Paveway IV Laser Guided Bomb.
I hope that these assassination aircraft provide profit only. It would be a shame if during their lifespan they were actually used to destroy human lives. My fingers firmly crossed…
Profit? How will you measure that?
And let’s hope the US- and USSR-controlled GPS systems are working when the drones home in on their targets…
Fantastic news for all those at GKN that have had to put their health on the line working every day through this pandemic.
Fingers crossed this order gives them a bit more job security.
Great for Island business and excellent for the future protection of this country. Considering the huge amount of cuts to our military this is a great future investment and being un-manned means in the unlikely event of it being shot down that no human lives are lost. Congrats MOD and GKN.