The Royal Air Force (RAF) has deployed a Reaper drone, a Remotely Piloted Aircraft System (RPAS), to provide essential intelligence in support of the UK’s evacuation of British nationals and other eligible individuals from Sudan.

The MQ-9 Reaper has been instrumental in supplying real-time imagery of evacuation areas in the country, aiding the teams from the UK Armed Forces, the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO), and the Border Force stationed in Port Sudan.

Designed for Intelligence, Surveillance, Target Acquisition, and Reconnaissance (ISTAR) missions, the RAF Reaper drone has been furnishing up-to-date imagery of the port, airfield, and ground environment.

The aerial intelligence has enabled the identification of hazardous areas for ground troops, as well as pinpointing suitable buildings for temporary shelter, medical facilities, and passenger processing locations.

The RAF Reaper was operated by the XIII Squadron based at RAF Waddington. The Squadron Executive Officer praised the aircraft and the personnel, stating, “For XIII Squadron to operate the RAF Reaper over two separate continents on two different missions, having eyes on the ground in Africa and the Middle East simultaneously shows the flexibility of the aircraft and our people, a remarkable effort from all the Squadron.”

The Reaper’s high-definition imagery and video feed have proved invaluable in aiding patterns of life and threat assessments.

This intelligence has supported the crew of HMS Lancaster, which is docked in Port Sudan, as well as those working on the ground during the evacuation efforts.

George Allison
George has a degree in Cyber Security from Glasgow Caledonian University and has a keen interest in naval and cyber security matters and has appeared on national radio and television to discuss current events. George is on Twitter at @geoallison

17 COMMENTS

  1. A great piece of work by the British military. I wonder if this will be reported on the BBC News? Don’t hold your breath…

  2. Just shows why the US military is wrong to be scrapping Reaper. Not every drone needs to be useful operating in contested environments. This is the kind of task no manned platform could carry out.

  3. I see the BBC has found another so called British Family in Sudan who blame the British for not getting them out:
    Sudan fighting: Bittersweet ending for one family fleeing conflictThe mobile phone footage is wobbly as Azza weaves her way through the crowd to the door of the Coral Hotel in Port Sudan.”Are there any staff here from the British embassy?” the 39-year-old mother of three asks the man at the door. He holds the door open just enough to hear the question – but not enough to let her in. “Those people packed up and left yesterday,” he replies…For Azza, a British citizen, a door has been slammed shut. Azza writes an anguished statement: “I want to express my frustration and disappointment with the British government’s handling of the recent evacuation efforts in Sudan. “I was told that my children would be allowed to travel with me out of this war-torn country to the safety of Britain.”

    So the BBC finds a british citzen who has lived in Sudan for over 30 years , whose children have no passports and her Husband has only a Sudanese one, her own is locked away somwhere and she feels she has a right to be flown out to the Uk and afforded a new life at the expence of people her and her kind openily dispise and hate, think I’m kidding from the article:

    “Lots of people have UK passports, but don’t want to live there,” Ahmed explained, adding: “It’s a safe haven to go.”

    Its like the other fellow who having lived in the Sudan since 2014, was angry he hadnt been given a house on landing in the Uk.

    • Why are they SO CALLED! Is it because their are brown in complexion??

      I think you need to drop your MAGA dog whistling that you continuously do in this fine website and forum on UK defence matters.

      Thank you!

      • Take a tea break, facts are facts no matter if they don’t agree with your echo chamber or political standpoint. Farouk is spot in with his info!

        • What makes these citizens SO-CALLED? They either are UK citizens, and therefore legal residents of the UK. Nothing like SO CALLED in UK citizenship law. Farouk is therefore out of line to label fellow citizens SO CALLED. Nothing spot on about that labelling of fellow citizens being evacuated out of Sudan who happen to be primarily brown in complexion.

          It rather smacks of racism, something I am loath to tag someone I don’t know personally with. Other part of Farouk’s contribution maybe 100% correct but labeling persons of another complexion SO CALLED citizens clearly implies that Farouk and you do not accept them as citizens, and that by extension can be inferred to also mean the UK PM is also not accepted by Farouk and you as UK citizens

          • Branaboy,
            Thank you for your reply, I am sorry you are offended by my use of the adjectives “So-called” in which to describe the latest tranch of people opining that they have been let down by the British Military and by default the Government. I based my assessment on how these “British Citizens” demanding a lift back to blightly don’t see themselves as British Citizens until they need rescuing from their own. This I substantiated in my post by the addition of a statement from said BBC article . I quote:

            “Lots of people have UK passports, but don’t want to live there,” Ahmed explained, adding: “It’s a safe haven to go.”

            As you can see my line of beratement, was not based on the colour of their skin, but rather how these people openly express that they don’t see themselves as British , have no desire to live in the Uk, but simply have the passport as a fallback. My previous posts on the matter reveal many instances where these people define themselves as not British. So do explain how people (And if you had read my posts as you say you have, you would see I have no problem targeting anybody (MPs, Both sides of the political spectrum and even myself) who express an inane hostility to the Uk can not be talked about?

            Oh yeah regards this polarised and bigoted remark by you:
            “”but labelling persons of another complexion SO CALLED citizens clearly implies that Farouk and you do not accept them as citizens, and that by extension can be inferred to also mean the UK PM is also not accepted by Farouk and you as UK citizens””
            Here is a picture of a very young Sapper outside the G10 in Quebeck Barracks Osnabruck , I can assure you, I’m not the young Canadian on the left and as I have mentioned many a time, I earned the right to that dark blue Lanyard. Which is the hallmark of a Sapper, something I am proud to say I was and have done many a time on this board.
            https://i.postimg.cc/13DHXkhV/Untitled-1.jpgAs for not accepting folk the same hue as myself, want to explain how my neice (a Sgt in the old bill) receives Monthly Red cross parcels (Only contain Italian chocolate ) from her uncle F, as does my other neice (Just started a life as a teacher), their brother passed out as a copper last year and I posted him a SOG Surept /24 CS Day sack as well as a pair of black Hanwag Military boots which are not cheap. as well as other stuff such as a leathermans, A LED torch etc. if I hated Brown people, you’d think I wouldnt spend hundreds of pounds a year on the children of my brother, who actually express loyalty to this country. But hey you keep banging that tin drum.

            My point..I am loyal to this wonderful country, always have been and always will be and I have no time for those who shoot it down time and time and time again supported by lilly white liberals who openily hate what they see in the mirror.Especially those who are placing British military personal in harm’s way due to their own lack of common

          • Boom, once again you shoot and score, Branaboy down, Branaboy down, we have a clown down in the city!!!!!!!!

          • Bravo! BRAVO!!!

            I do not expect a reply to you mate, not one that makes any real argument anyway.

          • No one mentioned race or racism, he has voiced an opinion and you have decided to latch on the easily thrown about label of racism! The amusing thing is Farouk is also “brown skin” (very lazy way of labelling a group of persons, but your call)! And as I support his post, I’m also inferred as not accepting others as UK citizens! Wow, how easy are peoples echo chamber perceptions thrown about. But, as it’s an easy and rather lazy way to challenge someone, but again your call. Cheers.

      • Would it surprise you that Farouk is brown himself? Because he is.

        Why not actually try to refute what Farouk is saying. Many millions of us are SICK TO THE BACK TEETH with the BBCs attitude, yet all you do is attack him for outlining it??

        Perhaps a so called citizen is one who has a British Passport but no loyalty whatsoever to the nation they are “citizens” of?

        That path leads to the collapse of this nation if its peoples have no loyalty to it, does it not?

      • Branaboy wrote:

        “”Why are they SO CALLED! Is it because their are brown in complexion??””

        When I was in Belize we employed a load of LEC, in the RHQ, the Chief Clerk had as a clerk a really pretty thing, really quiet and she refused point blank to date squaddies, then I came along:
        https://i.postimg.cc/0Q1kqSkg/img089.jpg

        If i was a racist who didnt like Brown people, I wouldnt openily date one would I. Oh hang on a minute, If this is about race, then surely I would be biased against white people. That doesnt explain why I share my bed with one. (That said she claims I love the cat more than I do her)

        P.S.
        Just had my hand slapped as its her bed and not mine (despite the fact I bought it)

    • Dit on… Alongside in Santander, Spain. 2 people dressed in full on Biker gear come to the ship and tried to come up the gangway. Politely told to get back on the jetty. They explained to the OOD that they where Brits that had had their passports and cash stolen and because they where Brits we had to give them and their BMW 1000cc touring bike passage back to the UK. They even got a bassy on when they where told no…

  4. Hmmm…wonder whether the Predator has been/will be armed? Not a terribly diplomatic move, but it sometimes pays to be the most heavily armed SOB in the valley of the shadow of death. Keeps everyone friendly…🤔😉

  5. This evacuation should be called BNE (Britain needs buffs) honestly as
    Titus 1vs12 says “One of themselves, even a prophet of their own, said, The Cretians Fuzzy wuzzy warriors are always liars, evil beasts, slow bellies.

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