New Protector drone lands at RAF Marham, marking milestone in airspace test
The RAF's next-generation Protector drone has landed at RAF Marham after flying through UK airspace from RAF Waddington, marking a milestone in its test and evaluation programme.
It's the first time the remotely piloted air system (RPAS) has operated away from its main base, demonstrating its ability to fly safely in controlled airspace and divert to other airfields.
The flight required coordination with the National Air Traffic Service (NATS), Swanwick Military Air Traffic Control and the Civil Aviation Authority.
The Officer Commanding 56 Squadron said: "Providing the assurance for flight operations, en route to and at RAF Marham, is a crucial step in the programme, increasing flexibility for both test and training.
"It has been another cross-stakeholder effort involving the test team at 56 Sqn, ISTAR Air Wing, especially 31 Sqn, who have led the engineering and logistical elements, and both Marham and Waddington Air Bases facilitating procedure implementation alongside airspace leads."
The test flight involved personnel from 56 Squadron, the ISTAR Air Wing and RAF Marham Operations Wing.
Engineers from 31 Squadron, the RAF's first operational Protector unit, were deployed to Marham to support the arrival and departure of the aircraft.
Wing Commander Maccoll, Officer Commanding 31 Squadron, said: "Today's land away was an opportunity for 31 Squadron to exercise our engineering and support functions ahead of future deployments.
"Working closely with 56 Sqn, who flew today's sortie, 31 Squadron engineers were proud to receive the aircraft following this historic first land away of a certified RAF RPAS."
Protector is expected to replace the RAF's Reaper fleet from later this year. It offers long-endurance intelligence, surveillance and strike capabilities, operating at heights of up to 40,000ft for more than 30 hours.
It is remotely piloted from RAF Waddington, where the UK's Protector Training Facility is based, and forms part of the Nato Flight Training Europe programme.
Wing Commander Williamson, Officer Commanding Operations Wing at RAF Marham, said: "The arrival of Protector at RAF Marham represents a step change in Royal Air Force capability.
"We are now able to receive, refuel and rearm Protector whenever required, away from its home base.
"I'd like to thank Operations Wing for their exceptional efforts to make this advancement in capability possible."
Further testing is planned over the summer.
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