Britain's unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) efforts are being focused in the near term on the Watchkeeper programme, Flight Daily News heard at the pre-show conference organised by Shepherd Press.
Although the British Army's future intelligence, surveillance and target (ISTAR) requirements are still under study, the solution is "almost certain to be a UAV," according to Col Grant Holden of the Royal Artillery Headquarters.
Two teams of companies are performing initial assessments under the Watchkeeper banner, says Holden. Lockheed Martin, Hunting Engineering and the Defence Evaluation Research Agency (DERA) form one team, competing against BAE Systems, General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Bell Helicopters Textron and Flight Refuelling.
Posting
Holden says the UK's only operational UAV, the BAE Systems Phoenix, is currently deployed to Kosovo on its third Balkan posting.
The British Army is also conducting a number of warfighting experiments with a view to enhancing Phoenix. These include linking the system to the Skynet 4 military commuinications satellite system to broadcast imagery over long distances. Improved data modems to be used to transmit targeting images from the Phoenix to fast-jet cockpits.
"Next year we plan to team Phoenix with British Army Apache attack helicopters in the same way that US Army Hunter UAVs and Apaches work together," he said. Future experiments will cover the possible use of mini and micro-UAVs by special forces in urban warfare. "The ability to operate something the size of a fly has obvious uses," he said.
A variety of new roles - including landmine detection with ground-penetrating radar, communications relays, electronic warfare, chemical and nuclear contamination detection, and acoustic detection - are under study.
Work on unmanned combat aerial vehicles (UCAVs) is being carried out by the Royal Air Force under the Future Offensive Air Capability (FOAC) study programme, and the Royal Navy is looking at maritime UAV applications.
Source: Flight Daily News
