Thales UK has successfully completed the first system flight trials of the WATCHKEEPER unmanned air vehicle (UAV). The autonomous flight occurred under the system guidance of the WATCHKEEPER ground control software and fully integrated within the ground control station (GCS).

These trials of the UAV, which operates with dual payloads, will continue into 2009, and will validate the key mission system capability of the WATCHKEEPER system. This is another significant step forward in the WATCHKEEPER program and follows closely from the first successful flight trials of the WATCHKEEPER air vehicle in April 2008 and the demo of the WATCHKEEPER Automatic Take-Off and Landing (ATOL) capability in August of 2008. The control software has been produced by Thales UK at its Crawley facility. The GCS has been designed and manufactured in the UK by UAV Tactical Systems Ltd (U-TacS), the Thales UK/Elbit Systems joint company site in Leicester. During the first successful flight trials at Elbit's facilities in Israel, the WATCHKEEPER UAV was controlled by the WATCHKEEPER GCS using Thales-developed software and performed an automatic take-off and landing. This initial stage of systems trials will provide an essential link between the various sub-system level trials and the full WATCHKEEPER systems trials to be undertaken in the U.K. next year. The test programme includes system command and control of UAV from WATCHKEEPER GCS — initial assessment of system data link performance — dual payload installation — generation and exploitation of payload imagery (the ‘imagery chain') — WATCHKEEPER avionics system trials (IFF and airborne radio assessment) — further systems ATOLS assessment — and electrical power system performance with dual payloads installed. The photo of the WATCHKEEPER UAV is courtesy of Elbit systems.