Army’s ‘watchkeeper’ drone to fly above british skies
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A huge unmanned drone is set to fly above UK skies this week ahead of trials in Afghanistan.
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.
Above: The aircraft boasts 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.
The images it produces are relayed in real time 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, highly-skilled pilots will fly Watchkeeper in restri...
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