The British Army is reassessing its operational requirements for unmanned air vehicles (UAVs), including enhancements to the Marconi Phoenix and a possible purchase of new unmanned systems, after its first Phoenix exercises in Canada.
The army is carrying out an operational requirements study for two additional UAV concepts - Sender, for use by battalion-size units and a bigger system, known as Spectator, for brigade and division-sized units. These could be based on existing systems or entirely new airframes. "It would be wrong to jump to the conclusion that Phoenix can or cannot meet these requirements,"the army says.
Both system concepts are part of the Ministry of Defence's emerging Joint Battlefield Reconnaissance programme, also involving the Anglo-American Tracer reconnaissance ground vehicle. The combined system has an in-service date of 2008.
Improvements to the Phoenix, which suffered a protracted development, could include improved hot-and-high performance and new mission payloads, including radio relay stations, laser target marking for smart munitions and remote mine detection devices.
The study comes just two months after the army accepted Phoenix into service. The test results have also prompted interest in increasing access to data from the UAV to more users. The prime user is the Royal Artillery, which employs Phoenix to target its AS90 howitzers and the Multiple Launch Rocket System.
One area of operations under assessment for Phoenix is peacekeeping missions, although the MoD refuses to say whether the system would be used in the NATO surveillance effort in the Serb province of Kosovo.
One Phoenix system was involved in an accident in Canada. "It is still under investigation, but it appears to have been operator error,"the Royal Artillery says.o
Recent trials with Phoenix have broadened the army's horizons on UAV use
Source: Flight International
