The UK Ministry of Defence has published new photos of the first deployments of the MQ-9B Protector RG1 to RAF Akrotiri on Cyprus, including some of the best official views of what is believed to be the ‘Outdragon’ SIGINT pod.
As we covered extensively on The Aviationist, the Royal Air Force’s new fleet of MQ-9B Protector RG1 aircraft – which replaced the MQ-9A Reaper – began operating from RAF Akrotiri during the second half of 2025. After a series of local sorties – which could be publicly tracked on flight tracking websites – the uncrewed aircraft commenced operations over the Middle East itself as part of the long-running Operation Shader.
Official comment on these operations was sparse – much like those regarding previous operations involving the MQ-9A Reaper, which flew from bases in the Middle East itself like Al Udeid in Qatar. Now, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) has published imagery of the Protector RG1 aircraft at Akrotiri via its official Defence Imagery service.
As well as providing the most official documentation of the operations so far, the images have also confirmed the active use of weapons and podded capabilities on the Protector RG1 platform. In a number of the photographs, taken – according to the camera EXIF data – in April 2026, a Paveway IV precision guided bomb can be seen carried by the aircraft under the port wing alongside a large, distinctive pod on the starboard wing.
This pod is not an officially disclosed capability beyond intentionally vague statements regarding the MQ-9A and the Protector RG1’s suite of intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) sensors, though it bears a strong resemblance to those seen previously on U.S. Reapers.
An update to this one from last year. A couple folks brought a series of images to my attention showing a blurred pod on board an MQ-9A in Kuwait a few days ago. An image set detailing the same training exercise but in July has what is most likely the same pod, unblurred. https://t.co/DhjSJ3uztH pic.twitter.com/Y49H9J0Tv0
— Emma Smith (@ameliairheart) August 29, 2023
For a brief time, the Royal Air Force’s own documentation for the Protector RG1’s loadouts (Form 725) was published openly on the official GOV.UK website. From this file, we can see a piece of equipment listed for station 8 on the starboard wing known as ‘Outdragon’ or ‘OD’. Newer versions of these forms are not publicly available.
In the images, a large blade antenna is also seen fitted to the centreline of the fuselage. This too is noted in the form, and features only on loadouts designated for ISR functions – including the ‘Outdragon only’ loadout.
The exact function of Outdragon is not able to be definitively confirmed, but its apparent pairing with a large blade antenna as well as the lack of any visible apertures for optical, infrared, or even radar-based sensors suggests that it could form part of what was described to Janes as a “comprehensive” signals intelligence (SIGINT) suite.
Other UK ISR Payloads
RAF Reapers were not unfamiliar to undisclosed payloads. As referenced in the Janes article listed above, and as featured in many official images of the RAF’s MQ-9s, in their later years they would apparently always carry two ‘cheeks’ on either side of the fuselage. Their exact nature has, similarly, not been confirmed, though U.S. Air Force budget documents have referenced the relocation of Air Handler (a mobile phone geo-location system) equipment from the ‘payload tray’ to the cheeks. Other documents have referred to them as ‘Air Handler cheeks’.
Whether this means the cheeks are exclusively for Air Handler, or whether they are configurable spaces for additional payloads is unclear. The length of each cheek, and the location on either side of the aircraft, would make them quite suitable as a replacement for a podded capability while providing a similar amount of space for equipment and a good field of view for any directional sensors.
The blade antenna mentioned above has been seen in use alongside these cheeks on the MQ-9A – if the blade is directly related to Outdragon, this could mean that the cheek antennas (which, as mentioned above, have been referred to as Air Handler cheeks) have previously also been used for Outdragon equipment. It might also suggest a connection between Outdragon and Air Handler.
🎥 Behind-the-scenes footage of the RAF Museum’s latest acquisition, the General Atomics MQ-9 Reaper, making its way onto the Royal Air Force Cosford airfield ready for the @cosfordairshow this Sunday! 🎉
This will be the first opportunity for aviation fans to see it on… pic.twitter.com/yHdqiPwSew
— RAF Museum (@RAFMUSEUM) June 12, 2026
These cheeks have not yet been seen on the Protector RG1, and notably they have remained on an MQ-9A Reaper airframe even after it was transferred to the Royal Air Force Museum for public display.
Self-Deployment
A Protector RG1 recently completed a first of a kind deployment flight from RAF Waddington in the UK through the airspace of various European nations and presumably to RAF Akrotiri. Previous deployments to Akrotiri have involved the disassembly of the aircraft, then shipment by air transport.
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This is made possible by the Protector RG1’s certification to operate outside of specially segregated airspace, having been granted a military type certificate. Unlike the MQ-9A Reaper, which never flew in UK airspace during its years of RAF service, the Protector RG1 is able to operate directly from RAF Waddington and self-ferry to a forward operating location or, if necessary, complete sorties in and around the British Isles.
Many thanks to Emma Smith for assisting with this article using her experience of the MQ-9’s wide and ever expanding array of external equipment. You can find her on X/Twitter and Bluesky.
Facts Only
The UK Ministry of Defence published new photos of the MQ-9B Protector RG1 operating from RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus.
The Protector RG1 began operations from RAF Akrotiri in the second half of 2025.
The aircraft has been deployed as part of Operation Shader in the Middle East.
Images from April 2026 show the Protector RG1 carrying a Paveway IV precision-guided bomb and an undisclosed pod on the starboard wing.
The pod is believed to be the 'Outdragon' SIGINT system, referenced in RAF documentation as 'OD'.
A large blade antenna is visible on the aircraft’s fuselage, associated with ISR functions.
The Protector RG1 is certified to operate outside segregated airspace, unlike the MQ-9A Reaper.
The aircraft can self-deploy from RAF Waddington in the UK to forward locations without disassembly.
Previous MQ-9A Reapers featured undisclosed 'cheek' payloads, possibly related to mobile phone geo-location systems.
The 'Outdragon' pod and blade antenna suggest a focus on signals intelligence.
The RAF’s Form 725 documentation briefly listed 'Outdragon' as equipment for the Protector RG1.
The exact function of 'Outdragon' and its relationship to earlier systems remains unconfirmed.
Executive Summary
The UK Ministry of Defence has released new images of the MQ-9B Protector RG1, the Royal Air Force’s latest uncrewed aircraft, operating from RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus. These images confirm the deployment of the Protector RG1 in the Middle East as part of Operation Shader, replacing the older MQ-9A Reaper. The photographs, taken in April 2026, show the aircraft equipped with a Paveway IV precision-guided bomb and a previously undisclosed pod on the starboard wing, believed to be the 'Outdragon' SIGINT (signals intelligence) system. The Protector RG1 is also seen with a large blade antenna on its fuselage, which is associated with ISR (intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance) functions. Unlike its predecessor, the Protector RG1 is certified to operate in non-segregated airspace, enabling it to self-deploy from RAF Waddington in the UK to forward operating locations without disassembly. The RAF’s earlier MQ-9A Reapers featured undisclosed 'cheek' payloads, possibly related to mobile phone geo-location systems, though their exact function remains unconfirmed. The Protector RG1’s capabilities, including its ability to carry advanced sensors and weapons, mark a significant upgrade in the RAF’s uncrewed aerial operations.
The exact nature of the 'Outdragon' pod and its relationship to previous systems like the 'Air Handler' remains unclear, though its design and pairing with the blade antenna suggest a focus on signals intelligence. The RAF’s transition to the Protector RG1 reflects broader advancements in uncrewed aerial technology, including improved operational flexibility and integration into civilian airspace. While official documentation has provided some details, much about these systems remains classified or undisclosed, leaving room for speculation about their full capabilities and strategic implications.
Full Take
The deployment of the MQ-9B Protector RG1 represents a significant evolution in the UK’s uncrewed aerial capabilities, blending operational flexibility with advanced intelligence-gathering tools. The strongest version of this narrative highlights the RAF’s technological leap—self-deploying aircraft, precision munitions, and sophisticated SIGINT pods—while acknowledging the deliberate ambiguity surrounding systems like 'Outdragon.' The pattern of undisclosed payloads, from the MQ-9A’s 'cheek' sensors to the Protector’s blade antenna, reflects a broader trend in military aviation: the tension between transparency and operational security. This isn’t necessarily manipulative—it’s a pragmatic response to the sensitivity of signals intelligence—but it does invite scrutiny. Why, for instance, was 'Outdragon' briefly listed in public documentation before being redacted? The lack of clarity isn’t just about secrecy; it’s about the strategic advantage of keeping adversaries guessing.
The root cause here is the militarization of information asymmetry. The Protector RG1’s ability to operate in civilian airspace isn’t just a technical achievement—it’s a paradigm shift in how uncrewed systems integrate into global air traffic, raising questions about sovereignty, surveillance, and the normalization of armed drones in shared skies. Who benefits? The RAF gains operational agility, but the broader implications—such as the precedent for other nations’ drone deployments—are less clear. The second-order consequences could include escalated tensions in regions like the Middle East, where the Protector’s SIGINT capabilities might be perceived as provocative.
Bridge questions: What would it mean if 'Outdragon' is indeed a comprehensive SIGINT suite? How does this align with the UK’s stated defense priorities? And if the RAF’s documentation was temporarily public, what else might slip through the cracks of classification? The counterstrike scan suggests this narrative aligns with a standard military transparency playbook—highlighting capabilities while obscuring specifics—but there’s no evidence of coordinated manipulation. The ambiguity is structural, not sinister.
Patterns detected: none
Sentinel — Human
The text exhibits the stylistic markers of a human journalist synthesizing technical documents and external commentary, making it highly likely to be human-written analysis rather than pure synthetic content.