A support and sustainment contract has been signed between the UK’s Ministry of Defence (MOD) and General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI) for the Protector RG Mk1 Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPA) system, which is based on the MQ-9B SkyGuardian®.
The contract, known as the UK Protector Availability and Support Solution or UK PASS, will provide ongoing support for the new Protector RPA systems supplied by GA-ASI and now being operated by the UK’s Royal Air Force (RAF).
UK PASS is a Direct Commercial Sale contract that includes support for the Protector program’s RPA, Certifiable Ground Control Stations, and Synthetic Training Systems.
UK PASS is part of GA-ASI’s SkyGuardian Global Support Solutions (SGSS), which provides support for the entire MQ-9B customer base.SGSS is a shared Contractor Logistics Support (CLS) model, in which resources such as labor, materials, and overhead, covering maintenance, supply management, and other support functions, are pooled together for use by the entire customer base. This approach provides efficiencies and a lower cost for customers.
Chris Dusseault, Vice President of MQ-9B in Europe, stated, “This contract marks an essential milestone in the fielding of the Protector RPA system for the RAF. With the UK PASS contract in place, we can now transition from the test and development phase of the program to training the RAF flight crews for operations.”
Group Captain Rich Cameron, Uncrewed Air System 3 Team Leader, added, “The awarding of the PASS contract marks three years of intensive work between GA-ASI and UK MOD multidisciplinary teams to turn a concept into a reality. This has generated a first-in class sustainment solution for the Royal Air Force Protector fleet, that exploits contractor owned inventory from a global common spares pool. This contract differs from a traditional spares and repairs contract, achieving economies of scale via a multi-customer common operating model.”
GA-ASI’s MQ-9B is an advanced RPA system, delivering exceptionally long endurance and range. MQ-9B includes the SkyGuardian and SeaGuardian® models, with multiple deliveries made to the U.K.’s Royal Air Force (Protector), as well as orders from Canada, Poland, the Japan Coast Guard, the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force, Taiwan, India, and the U.S. Air Force in support of the Special Operations Command. MQ-9B has also supported various U.S. Navy exercises, including Northern Edge, Integrated Battle Problem, and Group Sail.
