The Royal Air Force has opened the Protector RG Mk1 flight and training establishment at RAF Waddington, in a ceremony hosted by Air Officer Commanding 1 Group.
The building, which houses ground control stations, simulators and training areas for Protector – the first remotely piloted aircraft capable of flying in UK airspace, as well as element of NATO’s Flight Training Europe Campus is dedicated to the memory of Group Captain Bobby Oxspring, who amongst other many achievements was the first to lead a flight of RAF jet aircraft across the Atlantic in 1949.
The buildings facilities include the live and synthetic training systems and training areas for the RAF’s Protector RG Mk1.
The opening follows on from the recent announcement that Protector has entered service with the Royal Air Force.
“This building has only been made possible through the tenacity and dedication of a team comprising RAF Personnel, civil servants and vendors who have worked together to develop this site into the world class facility you see today, and I thank them for their efforts.”
Air Vice-Marshal Mark Jackson OBE, Air Officer Commanding 1 Group,
The building is operated by 54 Sqn – the Advanced Air ISTAR Academy – which delivers over 30 multi-skilled courses for the Royal Air Force’s ISTAR current and future platforms and managed training for Protector at The Oxspring Building.
The building also hosts elements of NATO’s Flight Training Europe (NFTE) campus. This is one of NATO’s High Visibility Projects to ensure that the Alliance can train aircrews to meet the security challenges of today and of the future. The opening of The Oxspring NFTE Campus is an example of utilising training capacity to meet shared defence priorities and enhance interoperability between Nations. NFTE is being executed through the NATO Support and Procurement Agency (NSPA) NFTE Support Partnership, which today counts 17 member nations across NATO.
The building also hosts elements of NATO’s Flight Training Europe (NFTE) campus. This is one of NATO’s High Visibility Projects to ensure that the Alliance can train aircrews to meet the security challenges of today and of the future. The opening of The Oxspring NFTE Campus is an example of utilising training capacity to meet shared defence priorities and enhance interoperability between Nations. NFTE is being executed through the NATO Support and Procurement Agency (NSPA) NFTE Support Partnership, which today counts 17 member nations across NATO.
“The opening of this NFTE training facility is a testament to what NATO Nations can achieve when they come together with a shared purpose. By integrating world-class capabilities like Protector into the NFTE framework, we are enabling the future of multinational aircrew training, while increasing availability and readiness across the Alliance.”
Mr Allan McLeod Director of NSPA Life Cycle Management.
Protector introduces a unique and long-endurance capability to UK Defence, specialising in intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition and reconnaissance as well as strike operations. When operational, this advanced system can be deployed globally with minimal on-site support, making it highly versatile for various missions. Remotely piloted from RAF Waddington, it can operate at heights up to 40,000 feet and has an endurance of over 30 hours.
Further testing will be completed over the summer prior to the planned transition from the RAF’s Reaper platform to Protector later in 2025. The Protector programme will deliver a cutting edge RPAS for the UK, replacing the current Reaper capability, and will be the first remotely piloted aircraft of this type capable of flying in the UK in all classes of airspace.
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