RAF Protector RG Mk1 Drone Cleared to Fire Brimstone 3, Paveway IV Weapons

The Royal Air Force’s (RAF) Protector RG Mk1 drone has been cleared to employ both the Paveway IV laser-guided bomb and the Brimstone 3A air-to-surface missile.

The qualification comes after General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI) — maker of the MQ-9B SkyGuardian drone on which the RAF Protector is based — announced this month that it completed weapons testing in June at its Southern California facilities, conducted under UK Ministry of Defence oversight.

GA-ASI said the milestone marked the first time it had led a customer weapons qualification campaign, successfully meeting all requirements for the weapons’ safe carriage and release from the aircraft.

“Leading the qualification test was a unique experience and we’re excited to complete the process so successfully for the RAF,” said GA-ASI President David R. Alexander.

Precision Strikes 

The RAF is fielding the Protector for intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition, and reconnaissance operations, replacing the service’s MQ-9A Reaper drones.

Following GA-ASI’s qualification testing, the Protector gained two weapons designed to deliver precision strikes against stationary and moving targets while minimizing collateral damage.

Manufactured by Raytheon UK, Paveway IV is an advanced 500-pound (227-kilogram) precision-guided bomb with a dual-mode guidance system that combines a semi-active laser with GPS/INS.

It has been widely used by the RAF on the Tornado GR4, Eurofighter Typhoon, and F-35B Lightning II aircraft to destroy fixed targets such as buildings, bunkers, and infrastructure, as well as moving targets. 

Meanwhile, MBDA’s Brimstone 3A is a 110-pound (50-kilogram) air-to-surface missile equipped with a dual-mode seeker that pairs a millimeter-wave radar with a semi-active laser. It is designed to engage moving targets, particularly tanks, armored vehicles, and fast-moving boats.