RAF Retires MQ-9 Reaper After 19 Years; MQ-9B Protector Takes Over
The Royal Air Force (RAF) has retired its MQ-9 Reaper Remotely Piloted Air System (RPAS), also known as the 'Grim Reaper' in some circles, after nearly two decades of service. The Reaper, developed by American company General Atomics Aeronautical Systems (GA-ASI), will be replaced by the MQ-9B Protector, expected to bring significant advancements in remotely piloted airpower.
The Reaper first entered RAF service in 2007 to support UK forces in Afghanistan. Over its operational life, it accumulated the equivalent of almost 20 years of continuous flying, comparable to traveling to the moon and back more than 50 times. It later became central to coalition operations under Operation Shader, flying missions against Daesh in Iraq and Syria. The Reaper made its final operational flight after more than 173,000 flying hours in combat operations across Afghanistan, Iraq, and Syria.
The MQ-9B Protector, set to undertake missions ranging from surveillance and search and rescue to armed operations alongside NATO partners, offers more than 40 hours of endurance, improved weapon systems, advanced sensors, and the ability to operate in UK airspace due to its certification. The most recent Reaper operations were flown by XIII Squadron at RAF Waddington, with crews consisting of a pilot, sensor operator, and mission intelligence coordinator.
Air Chief Marshal Harv Smyth, Chief of the Air Staff, praised the Reaper's contribution to RAF operations in the Middle East. The retirement of the MQ-9 Reaper marks the end of an era, but the introduction of the MQ-9B Protector promises a step-change in remotely piloted airpower, further enhancing the RAF's capabilities.
