Watchkeeper flew for the first time in the UK on 14 April, taking off from dedicated facilities at Parc Aberporth in West Wales for a 20-minute flight.
The Parc Aberporth facilities, managed by QinetiQ through the West Wales Unmanned Air vehicle (UAV) Centre, are the premier test facilities for UAVs in the UK.
The success of this first flight, a combined effort of the integrated Thales UK and Ministry of Defence (MoD) team, is the first milestone in a long-term program to demonstrate that the Watchkeeper system meets the robust safety and airworthiness criteria required to fly UAVs initially on ranges and segregated airspace in the UK.
The Watchkeeper system provides enhanced capability that will enable commanders to detect and track targets for many hours without the need to deploy troops into potentially sensitive or dangerous areas.
The system is capable of rapid deployment and operations anywhere in the world and will support the information requirements of all three services.