GA-ASI gives potential roles for Protector RG.1 as below, the last two are interesting.
Protector can be configured to conduct a variety of ISTAR operations, including but not limited to:
- Humanitarian Assistance/Disaster Relief
- Search and Rescue
- Law Enforcement
- Border Enforcement
- Defensive Counter Air
- Airborne Early Warning
- Electronic Warfare
- Long-Range Strategic ISTAR
- Anti-Surface Warfare (Maritime Role-Fit)
- Anti-Submarine Warfare (Maritime Role-Fit)
Late News but:
MQ-9B Training at FTTC Will Become Benchmark for Future Training
SAN DIEGO – 04 May 2023 – On May 1, 2023, the Royal Air Force (RAF) began training its first cohort of pilots, sensor operators, and mission intelligence coordinators on operating its new Protector Remotely Piloted Aircraft System (RPAS) at the Flight Test & Training Center (FTTC) in Grand Forks, N.D. The FTTC is owned and operated by General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI), which has begun deliveries of Protector RPAS to the RAF. Protector is a derivative of the MQ-9B SkyGuardianŽ and is initially being flown in the USA for training.
GA-ASI is training the first four Operational Conversion Units (OCUs), each comprising of eight crews, including pilots, sensor operators (SOs), and mission intelligence coordinators (MICs). Upon completion, the crews will operate the Protector Air system as part of 31, 54 or 56 Sqn. Training for the pilots and SOs is scheduled to run for 12 weeks; six weeks for MICs.
The scope of the training is focused on foundational skills required to operate the Protector air vehicle and its equipment, including the Multi-Spectral Targeting System (MTS), Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR), Mission Intelligence Station (MIS), and System for Tasking and Real-Time Exploitation (STARE). Training involves building solid foundations for both normal and emergency operations in Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) systems, instrument flying, and Automatic Takeoff and Landing Capability (ATLC).
The training includes simulation and live flight of the air vehicle. The synthetic training includes a desktop procedural trainer and a mission trainer.
“The training services performed at our Grand Forks center for the RAF represent an important benchmark for future MQ-9B training for other partners,” said GA-ASI President David R. Alexander.
Presumably the first cohort has completed its training based on three months from 1 May.