A British MQ-9B Protector drone taxis on a runway at RAF Marham, England, May 8, 2025. The Protector is replacing the British air force's MQ-9A Reapers, which were flown for the last time on Sept. 30, 2025. (Royal Air Force/Crown Copyright)
The U.K. has flown its MQ-9A Reaper drones for the last time, closing out an era of Middle East operations as it prepares to field new U.S.-built unmanned aircraft designed for Europe’s modern threats.
The Reapers are being replaced by the MQ-9B Protector, a move that NATO and defense officials say will strengthen the alliance’s surveillance network at a time when rapid coordination is seen as vital to deterring Russia and other emerging threats.
The MQ-9B’s ability to operate in both civilian and military airspace allows allied drones to fly from home bases into European skies without special clearances. The U.K. is investing in 16 of the aircraft, according to the country’s air force.
“With the introduction of the MQ-9B Protector, the future is certainly bright,” Group Capt. Stu McAdam said Friday in an air force statement.
McAdam is the commander of XIII Squadron, which operated the British Reapers and is now transitioning to the new aircraft at RAF Waddington, about 100 miles north of the U.S. Air Force’s main U.K. hubs at Lakenheath and Mildenhall.
The Reaper was designed for uncontested airspace, which made it ideal for counterterrorism operations in the Middle East. But it was confined to overseas combat zones because it lacked certification to fly in most European airspace.
A British MQ-9A Reaper drone taxis on a runway in this undated photo. The U.K. announced the retirement of its fleet of Reapers following a final flight Sept. 30, 2025, nearly 20 years after it entered service in 2007. (Royal Air Force/Crown Copyright)
With the Protectors, the British air force will be able to conduct routine patrols from home soil and also deploy overseas for NATO and coalition missions, according to information on the British defense ministry and British air force websites.
The ability of large drones to operate in NATO airspace is seen as strategically important, both for deterrence operations tied to the Russia-Ukraine war and for integration of drones into joint missions with U.S. and allied forces across Europe.
The Protectors will carry U.K.-made precision weapons such as Brimstone 3 missiles and Paveway IV bombs, the defense ministry’s website says.
The MQ-9B has a maximum payload capacity of 4,800 pounds and can stay in flight for more than 40 hours, according to California-based General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, which produces both the Reaper and the Protector.
It is also expected to remain compatible with U.S. munitions used by the Reaper fleet, according to the manufacturer’s website.
Meanwhile, the U.S. Air Force is gradually retiring its older MQ-9A Reapers and expects to keep about 140 of the aircraft in service through the mid-2030s as it transitions to a next-generation unmanned platform, according to service budget documents and Air Force officials.
Belgium is following close behind the U.K. in adopting the MQ-9B, with its first SkyGuardian, a variant similar to the Protector, completing a maiden flight over Belgium last month. The aircraft is part of a four-drone order now entering testing and acceptance at Florennes Air Base, General Atomics Aeronautical Systems said in a statement on Sept. 23.
The two countries are working together through a NATO support partnership to share logistics and maintenance, while Poland has also announced plans to buy the same system, according to statements from the company and the alliance.
