The British Army said its next generation unmanned air system (UAS) Watchkeeper, built by Thales UK, is fully operational in Afghanistan providing force protection for British troops as they prepare to leave Afghanistan by the end of the year.
Defense Secretary Michael Fallon made it official during a visit to Kabul with the Gen. Nicholas Houghton, chief of the defense staff.
Photo: U.K. MoD
“Watchkeeper is the first unmanned air system developed and built in the U.K. to become operational and will be a significant surveillance and reconnaissance capability for the Army for years to come,” Fallon said.
Houghton said, “The enhanced real-time situational awareness Watchkeeper provides means that our local understanding is greater, our tactical decisions better informed, and that, ultimately, personnel on the ground are safer.”
Thales has built 30 Watchkeeper UAS for the Army, and assembling 24 more to be stored. The stored UAS will be brought into service as needed. Watchkeeper is based on the Elbit Hermes 450.