The Ministry of Defence is evaluating options to integrate the RAF’s newly operational Protector remotely piloted aircraft with the P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol fleet, according to Defence Minister Luke Pollard.
In a written answer to Ben Obese-Jecty MP, Pollard said that “the exploration of the Maritime capability for Protector is being considered as part of the Defence Investment Plan to take onboard the Review’s vision and recommendations and turn them into a delivery plan.”
Protector entered RAF service earlier this year, replacing Reaper with a certified, NATO-compliant platform capable of long-endurance intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance missions. The aircraft operates from RAF Waddington, while the Poseidon fleet at RAF Lossiemouth provides the UK’s primary anti-submarine and maritime patrol capability.
The integration would align with recommendations in the Strategic Defence Review 2025, which urged tighter links between long-range maritime surveillance aircraft and uncrewed systems to enhance layered detection and persistent ISR coverage in the North Atlantic.
The move also follows developments among close allies. Canada plans to field a mixed fleet of at least 14 Boeing P-8A Poseidon twinjets and 11 unmanned General Atomics MQ-9B SkyGuardians, combining crewed and uncrewed platforms for maritime domain awareness and patrol operations.
Further details on the UK’s integration plan are expected in the forthcoming Defence Investment Plan, which Pollard said will ensure the approach “is affordable, considers infrastructure and people, alongside capabilities and maximises the benefits of defence spending to grow the UK economy.”
This is probably the most obviously sensible major decision that could be made.
These drones have a heck of a lot of range and a heck of a lot of endurance, so using them for ASW makes a lot of sense.
Then pretty please could we have the carrier STOL version?
Yes, so lets see some more purchased to do this rather than spread them even more thinly.
I hope this is not an indication of things to come when the DIP anouncement finally happens.
UK Defence Jam watered down to spread wider.
Halfwit – what has got into you? That is a serious comment!
He’s obviously not a well man…
It’s a Personality flaw, It manifests sometimes without warning, I had an attack early this morning but It easing off again now.
Take your pills…stat…
I think for some there is a tendency to come onto this site with a somewhat joint cynical/playful/mischievous bent and then it draws them in, they make connections, start to become part of the fabric and start to take it more seriously even if that occasional waggish brain worm reasserts itself on occasion. Especially when you select a name that is rather difficult to escape. 😁🤡
Yes I resemble this at times.
The trouble is, I think.
Sorry, I think differently (yes really)
Most on here are Serious in what they believe in and type but, It actually makes no difference whatsoever, Writing reems of well intended/serious words is well received by the fellow comentaters but no one important enough to make a difference, will ever see it, take it in and or on it.
I said as much a few months back when new here and getting a few “Tellings Off” for being silly. (you know who you are👀👀👀😁)
“They” don’t listen to “Us”.
Don’t be silly, Where’s the fun in that.
Completely agree. I’ve thought for a while that, making quick improvements in ASW should be near the top of the list and that this would be an obvious move. Getting at least a few STOL conversions ASAP, gaining experience of operating large UAVs from the carriers and extending their capabilities now seems a no-brainer too, even if ultimately different carrier solutions prove better.
For ASW I can’t see how it would be possible to improve on MQ9B as a platform beyond doing what it does, better.
36h endurance with a decent number of sonobuoys and a couple of torpedoes is good for time on station a very long way away, and it would also take over the P8 job of doing circles around suspicious Russian cargo ships.
It remains to be seen if the flight deck arrangements can be worked out, but I live in hope 👍
I agree for ASW, with the same reservation about integration of such a large wingspan aircraft on the carriers. I was thinking about some of the other possible carrier-based applications that are being discussed, principally AEW, where MQ-9B with a STOL kit might be a near-term solution but there are reservations about it and it doesn’t seem so clear whether the longer term best solution is a few higher-end platforms, loads of less capable but distributed and attritable ones or a mix.
For me the idea of having full-fat MPA performance from a carrier deck is too good to waste, the AEW option would largely be for convenience and commonality as an improvement over Crowsnest.
The RN should build the QE air wing around an Atlantic scenario where ASW is critically important. Even in the Pacific long range and decent weapon capacity (Spear, Sea Venom or JSM) to search for smallish surface targets would be more than a US CSG is capable of.
I totally agree, Canada seems to have a good handke on this.
The UK should be operating broadly the same mix.
A UK fleet of 14 ish P8, backed up by a fleet of 10 ish Sea Guardian would restore Maritime mass we haven’t had since the mid 90’s.
They have the range and capabilities to make a huge difference. It would also make sense if Norway generated a similar force mix.
These are also ISTAR platforms and heavily utilised on current operations. Spreading assets evermore thinly dilutes these platforms effectiveness.
We absolutely need to increase the buy Mark.
The reality is our NATO Atlantic responsibilities (including UK oil/gas/wind comms inferstructure) is rapidly becoming a higher national priority.
Our minimum P8 buy was procured for very limited SSBN protection and limited martime patrol, prior to Cold War 2 kicking off.
It needs reinforcement without delay now.
We are, we’ve announced that Saab and General Atomics are working on an MQ-9 for the carriers
The reality of this strategy is you need multiples of the unmanned system to every manned system to release the true value. I can’t see us doing that & we already have tasking for protector otherwise why buy it. Good on paper as a capability but not sure this will happen in reality. Due to numbers and other tasking.
Assuming we can’t/won’t buy enough for both then I suppose it comes down to priorities. Swatting mopeds in the Middle East, alongside the Americans or addressing the Russian submarine threat to Europe. Tough choice.
It’s a pretty obvious ‘low hanging fruit’ call to make, I know we’ve been saying it for years here.
We’d need the full procurement of 16 airframes, plus probably a few more, and some maritime surface search radar kits at a bare minimum.
Obviously, preferably, sonobuoy dispensers and Stingray integration would be preferable, along with whatever data node stuff would be needed to send the sonobuoy data onwards.
Waiting for someone to demand dipping sonar too, with the Protector flying tight circles so that the cable drops straight down and into the water!
Which is why I disagree with ditching Reaper so readily. As how many of the Protector force will now be in the Middle East carrying out a task Reaper was doing already?
Reaper could not do the UK based maritime role anyway as it could not fly here, so maximise Protector for the European NATO, ASW, maritime tasks.
Makes a lot of sense in tbe shorter term mate.
If we are pushing forwards to 3.5% on defence, then a fleet of 30 plus Protector drones shouldn’t be a problem, with Sea Guardian and STOL kits for maximum flexibility across precision strike, maritime patrol and flexible Carrier use.
Wasn’t the Protector purchase an actual fleet expansion, from 10 to 16 alongside the increase in endurance per aircraft? With the slight reduction in ME operations we ought to be able to spare some for MPA roles, though of course an extra purchase would be sensible.
There’s always a maritime role in the ME itself as well, to track the Iranians and Houthi small boats.
Correct. 10 Reaper. I recall it was only 4 at one time.
I also recall Cameron grandstanding about 24!
“to track the Iranian and Houthi small boats” ahh, is that where they come from !
I thought they were Doctors and Nurses, IT Specialists and other key workers.
IMHO It only makes sense if after a trial they buy extra Airframes and set up dedicated units for MPA, these UAVs have to be regarded as expendable and a mission over the North Atlantic is pretty hostile environment so we need extra mass for attrition.
So I just hope there is the option for an order for another 16 in the DIP, and preferably the Maritime version such as the Mariner or Sea Guardian. They have more range, better radar, are more robust, can descend to low altitudes and have an ability to drop sonar buoys (lightweight torpedoes ?).
The other reason for separation is just down to the prime mission tasking, patrolling up in the GIUK gap needs as much range as possible so basing at Waddington makes zero sense (it’s 300+ miles the wrong way).
I think the simple option would be for them to be based at Lossiemouth with the P8’s (or even Kinloss) with possibly a detachment at Predannack.
Agreed, Kinloss runway is still operational I believe and the airfield is huge, lots of dispersal options away from 39 RE.
Pred is supposedly a “Centre of Excellence” for Drones now, even though it looks like a barren wasteland with burned out shells used for fire training.
I’d have reopened Llanbedr personally with instant access to the Aberporth range areas.
Yup, we need an extra base up North for Maritime Protector, a Scottish equivalent of Waddington essentially. Would also be useful as an extra F35 base if the fleet grows further, or if we want loyal wingmen for Lossie-based Typhoons. I don’t think the maritime ones have any intrinsic modifications beyond the data link for Sonobuoys, apart from that the radar is underslung and torpedoes are on the hard points and so we could convert the fleet quite quickly. Each one costs more than a Typhoon (though much less than a P8) and they’re pretty robust so no need to worry about attrition, they’re big birds.
For what it’s worth I think we should give up on the Army (mostly), we just aren’t a significant force in NATO
Completely agree, keep reaper for the Middle East and western Indian occean.
Far too sensible sadly
Just a thought …. long endurance platforms like Reaper, I imagine will reach their airframe end-of-life limit a lot sooner than other manned platforms. Cost will be the biggest reason I dare say we are retiring them and, ‘God forbid’, an increasing fleet of dissimilar UAVs but, is the lack of airframe life left part of the reason we are retiring them when they are otherwise, what, a 15 to 20 year old airframe …. compare that to Typhoon? I’d like to see Reaper kept on but, you know the MOD and the Defense budget, ‘what gives’ if they are?
Sadly. With a supposed expanded budget as once believed, you’d hope it were possible even if they were given to the RAuxAF and stored at Shawbury.
They have airframe loads a lot lower than airliners, so I’m not sure if the long flights are enough of a reason for short lives.
Maybe they’re just a little clunky to operate, given how new drone tech was when Reaper was designed?
Might this be a totally unanimous agreement from the peanut gallery with what MOD is doing? I can’t recall so positive reaction to a use/direction in a long time. FWIW I too think it’s right.
“Warning, may contain Nuts”.
Aah he’s back.
Only half !
I would imagine the exrta high powered cameras on the drones would massively speed-up maritime search and rescue even as a baseline utility?
Can Protector carry Stingray?
It has a stated payload of approx 2100 km on 9 handprints, so yes in theory it could carry several Stingray torpedoes. As with anything, the more weight you add, the more endurance you might lose.
It’s max range is circa 6000 miles, but don’t know if that’s with its max payload.
Should say payload of approx 2100 kgs, not km.
and “Handprints!” lol
I’m guessing Hardpoints,
don’t you just hate modern keyboards 😁😁😁