The Royal Air Force (RAF) has used a Protector RG1 drone for the first time to monitor Russian warships near the English Channel. The unarmed aircraft, part of a 16-model order, spent 10 hours watching for vessels between late September and mid-October, joined by helicopters and Royal Navy warships.
Surveillance mission details
During the first half of October, HMS Dauntless and HMS Tune monitored a Russian frigate, a warship designed for scouting or patrol. Commander Neil Skinner of HMS Dauntless said they spotted the RFN Neustrashimy transiting through the Channel. Tracking such boats, he added, “contributes to the wider maritime picture and supports UK maritime security.”
The Protector RG1 can reach speeds of up to 390mph and fly at an altitude of nearly 40,000ft. According to the RAF, it can fly for up to 40 hours and is controlled remotely by personnel at RAF Waddington, Lincolnshire. It is a British version of the American MQ-9B drone, fitted with Paveway guided bombs and “fire-and-forget” Brimstone missiles that rely on AI and sensors to distinguish between tanks and public transport vehicles without human oversight.
Broader monitoring efforts
RAF helicopters also tracked a Russian intelligence-gathering ship operating near Nato units and a Russian landing ship in the Channel. The Kremlin has increasingly used drones, flying remote-controlled aircraft in Denmark, Lithuania, Moldova, Norway and Poland. A senior military commander told MailOnline that Moscow’s drones could be launched within minutes from a ship off the British coast.
“We need more aircraft in the air and ships at sea – it doesn’t matter how small the ships are, they simply need to monitor vessels,” they said. The Royal Navy’s anti-Russian monitoring activity increased 25% during the first seven months of this year, the MoD said in August.
Last month, Moscow was caught “rehearsing” attacks on a vast undersea cable network in the Arctic that powers the UK’s internet, while The Telegraph reported that 500 incidents of Russian fishing trawlers “spying” on these cables have been documented.
Official response
Defence Secretary Wes Streeting said: “Our Armed Forces work together every day, around the clock, to keep our country safe and safeguard our national interests. For the first time, Protector has joined Royal Navy warships and helicopters monitoring activity around our shores, demonstrating how we are constantly innovating to monitor and deter threats and irresponsible provocation.”
