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UK could arm its Watchkeeper UAVs
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By Craig Hoyle
The UK could integrate a lightweight weapon with its Thales UK/Elbit Systems Watchkeeper 450 tactical unmanned air vehicles, operations of which should begin from late next year.
"We are conducting analysis to investigate the contribution that an armed Watchkeeper UAV system could make in current and future operations," confirms minister for international defence and security Baroness Taylor. The work is being conducted as part of the Ministry of Defence's "routine capability planning process", she says.
Taylor's comment represents the first time that the MoD has acknowledged the possibility of arming the British Army's future WK450 air vehicles. However, the ministry adds: "We are still at an early stage of considering the benefits, and as yet no decisions regarding which munitions should be used have been made."
One likely candidate for a weaponised version is Thales Air Systems' lightweight multirole missile (LMM), which has previously been shown at exhibitions with a model of the WK450.
Unveiled in mid-2008 and based on elements of Thales's Starstreak ground-based air-defence weapon, the precision-guided LMM has a launch weight of around 13kg (28lb), including a 3kg warhead. Thales has previously said that production deliveries of the up to 8km (4.3nm) range weapon could be made from 2011.
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.
By Craig Hoyle
The UK could integrate a lightweight weapon with its Thales UK/Elbit Systems Watchkeeper 450 tactical unmanned air vehicles, operations of which should begin from late next year.
"We are conducting analysis to investigate the contribution that an armed Watchkeeper UAV system could make in current and future operations," confirms minister for international defence and security Baroness Taylor. The work is being conducted as part of the Ministry of Defence's "routine capability planning process", she says.
Taylor's comment represents the first time that the MoD has acknowledged the possibility of arming the British Army's future WK450 air vehicles. However, the ministry adds: "We are still at an early stage of considering the benefits, and as yet no decisions regarding which munitions should be used have been made."
One likely candidate for a weaponised version is Thales Air Systems' lightweight multirole missile (LMM), which has previously been shown at exhibitions with a model of the WK450.
Unveiled in mid-2008 and based on elements of Thales's Starstreak ground-based air-defence weapon, the precision-guided LMM has a launch weight of around 13kg (28lb), including a 3kg warhead. Thales has previously said that production deliveries of the up to 8km (4.3nm) range weapon could be made from 2011.
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