General Atomics Aeronautical Systems has announced the first flight of a production-representative MQ-9B SkyGuardian unmanned air vehicle (UAV) at a flight operations facility in El Mirage, California, the company said.
The company said it remains on schedule for delivering MQ-9B Protector to the Royal Air Force.
The company-owned aircraft will undergo ground and flight evaluations to collect certification data, such as flight loads and performance testing. Data collected will support the type´s military type certification campaign.
The UK service has orders for 16 examples, which it will designate the Protector RG1.
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