“The government has bet on new, more cost-effective unmanned systems to replace Watchkeeper.”, — write: www.unian.ua
The government has bet on new, more cost-effective unmanned systems to replace Watchkeeper.
Britain refused to transfer Watchkeeper reconnaissance drones to Ukraine / photo – WikipediaThe Ministry of Defense of Great Britain refused to hand over the Watchkeeper reconnaissance drones to Ukraine, deciding on their further disposal. This was reported by Militarny with reference to the UK Defense Journal.
It is noted that in a written response to Conservative MP Marc Francois, Defense Minister Luke Pollard noted that the government has committed to new, more cost-effective unmanned systems to replace Watchkeeper.
According to him, despite the write-off of these drones, they are not planned to be handed over to Ukraine. At the same time, Pollard emphasized that “Great Britain, together with its partners, will continue to support Kyiv, equipping it as best as possible to protect its sovereign territory and ensure a strong position for any peace negotiations.”
He explained the refusal to transfer Watchkeeper by the fact that these drones were adopted back in 2010 and are now considered obsolete, especially given the high rate of development of unmanned technologies in Ukraine.
“Military” reminded that the same fate will befall the British MQ-9 Reaper, they will also be disposed of instead of being transferred to Ukraine or sold to other countries.
The letter also mentions the financial implications of the Watchkeeper program being wound down. Pollard confirmed that the total budget allocated to the system between November 2024 – when it was announced to be decommissioned – and March 2027 is £115.886m.
The funds are said to ensure a controlled decommissioning process while the British Army transitions to the new solution.
What is known about Watchkeeper dronesAs UNIAN reported, the British fleet of Watchkeeper drones is unable to operate in bad weather conditions. The Times reported that although one such drone costs around £5 million, none of them are used in operations.
It was also said that the spy drones were so modified that they became too heavy, so the overall program turned into an “absolute disaster”. One official said eight such drones, worth £40m, had been scrapped.
Watchkeeper was built on the basis of the Israeli drone Hermes 450. It played a key role in the country’s anti-terrorist operations.
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