The first Protector RG1 UAV, produced under the Protector programme in line with UK needs, successfully completed its first flight after the production line.

General Atomics – Aeronautical Systems Inc (GA-ASI) and the United Kingdom signed an agreement in July 2020 to purchase three MALE-class (Medium Altitude Long Endurance) Protectors worth £65 million for the Royal Air Force. Under the contract, the first UAV from the production line will remain in the United States for system tests. Following the completion of the first test, it will be handed over to the UK Ministry of Defence in the summer of 2021.

The Protector, which is expected to replace existing Reaper drones in the Royal Air Force, will be deployed to the main base in Lincolnshire in 2024.