The Army’s latest “spy in the sky” unmanned aircraft is due to begin flying over British skies this week.
Watchkeeper, a reconnaissance and surveillance unmanned air system (UAS), has a wingspan of 35 feet and can fly at an altitude of up to 16,000 feet.
It has been designed to loiter over areas of interest for “significantly longer” than existing systems, providing clear surveillance pictures to troops on the ground. The aircraft has two sensors – a day and night camera which produces 24-hour high-definition images and a radar sensor, allowing it to see in all conditions.
Images are relayed to a ground control station that acts as the aircraft’s cockpit – reducing the need to deploy troops to potentially dangerous situations.
Watchkeeper, which has been tested in west Wales since 2010 and is nearing the end of its trials, is expected to take a “significant role” in future military campaigns.
This week, pilots will fly Watchkeeper in restricted airspace over the Ministry of Defence’s Salisbury Plain training area in Wiltshire, overseen by military air traffic controllers.
Colonel Mark Thornhill, Commander of 1st Artillery Brigade, said: “Watchkeeper is a state-of-the-art system coming in to service now. It can fly for longer, it flies off rough strips, it has better sensors.
“It will allow us to provide real-time imagery back to the ground commander so he can then take appropriate action.”
Watchkeeper, being developed by Thales UK, does not carry weapons. It has already clocked up 500 hours of flying time in west Wales.
Matt Moore, head of Thales UK’s UAS business, said: “When it gets to its operating altitude, it is inaudible. You can’t see it either.”
“It is that high up, the shape, the size, the low signature profile, it is very difficult to see among the terrain and the environment in the air.”