In July 2004, the UK Ministry of Defence announced that Thales UK had been selected as the preferred bidder for the Watchkeeper Tactical Unmanned Air Vehicle (TUAV) system. Watchkeeper will provide the UK armed forces with Intelligence, Surveillance, Target Acquisition and Reconnaissance (ISTAR) capability.
In August 2005, Thales UK was awarded the contract for the Development, Manufacture and Initial Support (DMIS) phases of the Watchkeeper programme. The number of Watchkeeper systems has not yet been announced. Watchkeeper is a tactical system that will be operated in theatre by the British Army Royal Artillery.
Thales UK's Watchkeeper proposal included a large UAV and a smaller UAV, support equipment and ground stations. The MoD has decided that a single UAV solution is more cost-effective and only the larger WK450 UAV will be developed. The air vehicle will be capable of carrying a range of sensors including day and night cameras and surveillance radars. Two WK450 air vehicles will be able to operate in tandem, with the second acting as a communications relay. The ground control station will be network-enabled to ensure comprehensive communications links, for example to airborne stand-off radar, attack aircraft and battlegroup headquarters.
The Watchkeeper system will enter service in the British armed forces in 2010. A full Watchkeeper system can be deployed to theatre in a single C-130 Hercules transport aircraft.
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