British Watchkeeper UAS operational in Afghanistan

UK MOD Crown Copyright 2014 The British Army's new Watchkeeper unmanned air system (UAS) is now fully operational in Afghanistan. The...

UK MOD Crown Copyright 2014

The British Army's new Watchkeeper unmanned air system (UAS) is now fully operational in Afghanistan. The UK Defence Ministry today announced the first operational flights of Watchkeeper from Camp Baston base.

The Watchkeeper provides UK troops with life-saving surveillance, reconnaissance and intelligence about targets ahead, with its unique dual payload capability, carrying a synthetic aperture radar/ground moving target indicator (SAR/GMTI) and either datalink relay or electro-optical/infra red (EO/IR) sensor, with optional laser target designator (LTD), to deliver high quality image intelligence day and night and in all weather conditions.

A two crew team controls the UAV from a Ground Control Station (GCS),
one operator controls the mission, whilst the other tracks the information being fed from the UAV sensors.

The Thales built Watchkeeper is capable of automatic take-off and landing. It is based on the Israeli Elbit Hermes 450 UAV. The engine is a rotary Wankel engine. It has a mass of 450 kg and a payload capacity of 150 kg, with a typical endurance of 17 hours.

Following the handover of Camp Bastion, the UASwill return home to Wiltshire where Royal Artillery troops will continue to train with the system in restricted airspace over Salisbury Plain.