Developed from the Israeli-developed Elbit Hermes 450, the Watchkeeper is operated by the British Army as an unarmed Intelligence, Surveillance, Target Acquisition, and Reconnaissance (ISTAR) platform.
The UAV came down close to the airfield from which it was operating, bringing to five the number of Watchkeepers that have now been lost. The UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) confirmed the incident but declined to divulge details, except to say that an investigation has been launched.
With 54 air vehicles having been acquired, the army is now down to 49 as a result of its losses. A senior service official previously told Jane’s that expected attrition losses were built into the original number of Watchkeepers procured, though it was noted that this was to enable the platform to be used in less permissive environments rather than to cover for expected accidents.
