Belgium has become the first international participant in the General Atomics MQ-9B SkyGuardian operators club established by the UK Royal Air Force (RAF).
The MQ-9B International Cooperation Program (MICP) was formed by the RAF last year for operators and potential future customers of the SkyGuardian family of platforms, in a bid to foster cooperation between users.
Belgium’s MQ-9B SkyGuardian medium-altitude, long-endurance uncrewed aircraft systems will be virtually identical to the MQ-9B Protectors being acquired by the RAF to replace MQ-9A Reapers currently in service.
These similarities allow the MICP member nations to collaborate on certification and airworthiness, training, sustainment, and future capability enhancements, RAF officials state.
The RAF established the MICP because the U.S.-developed UAS has not yet been procured by one of the U.S. armed forces, so there is currently no MQ-9B program of record, no program office, and no forum for enhancing cooperation.
The arrangement has its roots in a letter of intent signed by the RAF’s chief of the air staff, Air Chief Marshal Mike Wigston, and Belgian counterpart Maj. Gen. Frederik Vansina in August 2020 looking at how the two air forces might work together on training, maintenance, logistics support, interoperability and capability enhancement.
“Thanks to this collaboration, we can develop synergies that optimize the interoperability and support of the SkyGuardian, creating economies of scale for all participants. This is happening in various areas such as staff training, certification and the development of future capabilities,” said Maj. Gen. Ivan De Tender, head of the Public Procurement Division of Belgium’s defense forces.
Belgium’s accession to the MICP through a memorandum of understanding makes it a lead nation in the arrangement, along with the UK. Six other nations are observers to the MICP: Canada, Denmark, Germany, Greece, Lithuania and Norway.
Belgium is buying four MQ-9B airframes and two ground control stations, with the aircraft due to be based at Florennes airbase. The platform will replace Belgium’s B-Hunter, a derivative of the Israel Aerospace Industries Hunter tactical uncrewed aircraft system, which performs regular flights in Belgian airspace, albeit segregated from other users. Once the MQ-9B is fully certified, the Belgian air force hopes it can be operated in non-segregated airspace.
Work on the infrastructure to support the MQ-9Bs already is underway at the air base, including areas for administration, operations and maintenance facilities.
The first deliveries to Belgium are expected in 2024.
