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| UK's £1.2bn bill for drone that's seen 146 hours of active duty | |
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| A British army drone developed as an affordable solution is four years late and expected to cost £1.2bn to become fully operational, an investigation has found. | A British army drone developed as an affordable solution is four years late and expected to cost £1.2bn to become fully operational, an investigation has found. |
| The order to design and build 54 Watchkeeper surveillance drones was announced by the then defence secretary John Reid in 2005, who said they would be “key to battlefield surveillance of the future”. He signed off on costs of about £800m, with the contract going to a consortium led by the French defence giant Thales. | The order to design and build 54 Watchkeeper surveillance drones was announced by the then defence secretary John Reid in 2005, who said they would be “key to battlefield surveillance of the future”. He signed off on costs of about £800m, with the contract going to a consortium led by the French defence giant Thales. |
| The first Watchkeeper drones were expected to enter service from 2010 and be fully operational by 2013, but software glitches and army staff shortages have meant the date is now 2017 at the earliest – a delay of at least four years. | The first Watchkeeper drones were expected to enter service from 2010 and be fully operational by 2013, but software glitches and army staff shortages have meant the date is now 2017 at the earliest – a delay of at least four years. |
| A joint investigation by the non-profit Bureau of Investigative Journalism and the Guardian has revealed that the project is expected to cost significantly more than originally planned. | A joint investigation by the non-profit Bureau of Investigative Journalism and the Guardian has revealed that the project is expected to cost significantly more than originally planned. |
| After 10 years in development, only three Watchkeeper drones have seen active duty, arriving in Afghanistan weeks before last year’s troop withdrawal. The drones flew for a total of 146 hours, equivalent to two days each, before British forces left the country. | After 10 years in development, only three Watchkeeper drones have seen active duty, arriving in Afghanistan weeks before last year’s troop withdrawal. The drones flew for a total of 146 hours, equivalent to two days each, before British forces left the country. |
| So far, 33 of the 54 Watchkeeper drones have been delivered. Eight are being used for army training on Salisbury Plain, while most are boxed up and in storage. | So far, 33 of the 54 Watchkeeper drones have been delivered. Eight are being used for army training on Salisbury Plain, while most are boxed up and in storage. |
| Col Richard Kemp, a former commander of British forces in Afghanistan, said Watchkeeper was “just the latest of a string of examples of overdue and overcost defence equipment projects”. | Col Richard Kemp, a former commander of British forces in Afghanistan, said Watchkeeper was “just the latest of a string of examples of overdue and overcost defence equipment projects”. |
| He said: “Only too often in defence procurement, the perfect is the enemy of the good. And there is no point striving for perfection if it arrives too late to actually do the job.” | He said: “Only too often in defence procurement, the perfect is the enemy of the good. And there is no point striving for perfection if it arrives too late to actually do the job.” |
| Unlike other drone models such as Reaper, which operate by satellite, Watchkeeper is piloted by radio signals and requires troops on the ground in order to function. A defence spokesman explained that this allows it to be used more directly by commanders to survey the battlefield. | Unlike other drone models such as Reaper, which operate by satellite, Watchkeeper is piloted by radio signals and requires troops on the ground in order to function. A defence spokesman explained that this allows it to be used more directly by commanders to survey the battlefield. |
| Watchkeeper has not been used in the RAF-led air missions in Libya and Iraq, or in Syria, where Reapers are providing a third of all surveillance flights to the US-led coalition. | Watchkeeper has not been used in the RAF-led air missions in Libya and Iraq, or in Syria, where Reapers are providing a third of all surveillance flights to the US-led coalition. |
| Related: The numbers behind the worldwide trade in drones | Related: The numbers behind the worldwide trade in drones |
| Commenting on the drone’s reliance on radio, Chris Woods, the author of Sudden Justice, a book on drones, said: “The problem with Watchkeeper is it’s yesterday’s technology pretending to be tomorrow’s.” | Commenting on the drone’s reliance on radio, Chris Woods, the author of Sudden Justice, a book on drones, said: “The problem with Watchkeeper is it’s yesterday’s technology pretending to be tomorrow’s.” |
| Woods also pointed to the fact that they had not been used in the UK’s most recent operations abroad. “The government is spending £1.2bn on an asset that is not being used in the kinds of aerial-led wars we’re now fighting.” | Woods also pointed to the fact that they had not been used in the UK’s most recent operations abroad. “The government is spending £1.2bn on an asset that is not being used in the kinds of aerial-led wars we’re now fighting.” |
| The Ministry of Defence (MoD) has admitted that even hitting the 2017 target to be fully operational “will require considerable further development”. Another problem is the lack of trained pilots: currently the army only has six, but it expects this to rise to 100 when the drone is fully operational. | The Ministry of Defence (MoD) has admitted that even hitting the 2017 target to be fully operational “will require considerable further development”. Another problem is the lack of trained pilots: currently the army only has six, but it expects this to rise to 100 when the drone is fully operational. |
| A Thales spokesman said “significant improvements to aircraft safety regulations and certification in the UK” had added to the delays. “Watchkeeper is the first and only UAS [unmanned aerial system] of its type to have undergone the rigorous testing and certification demanded in this improved regulatory landscape. | A Thales spokesman said “significant improvements to aircraft safety regulations and certification in the UK” had added to the delays. “Watchkeeper is the first and only UAS [unmanned aerial system] of its type to have undergone the rigorous testing and certification demanded in this improved regulatory landscape. |
| “Thales and the UK MoD have worked together to deliver a world-leading capability for the British army, through a complex technology programme to grow an emerging technology into a certified and airworthy unmanned aircraft system.” | “Thales and the UK MoD have worked together to deliver a world-leading capability for the British army, through a complex technology programme to grow an emerging technology into a certified and airworthy unmanned aircraft system.” |
| An MoD spokesman said: “Watchkeeper has already proven its value in Afghanistan and will provide the British army with a cutting-edge, remotely piloted air system. The project is on track to meet its planned full operational capability of mid-2017.” | An MoD spokesman said: “Watchkeeper has already proven its value in Afghanistan and will provide the British army with a cutting-edge, remotely piloted air system. The project is on track to meet its planned full operational capability of mid-2017.” |
| Watchkeeper was commissioned to replace another British-designed unmanned aircraft, the Phoenix, which cost £345m to develop and left service after six years. It was forced to land on its back because of the low-slung technical equipment on the underside, and was known among troops as the “Bugger Off” due to its frequent failure to return from missions. | Watchkeeper was commissioned to replace another British-designed unmanned aircraft, the Phoenix, which cost £345m to develop and left service after six years. It was forced to land on its back because of the low-slung technical equipment on the underside, and was known among troops as the “Bugger Off” due to its frequent failure to return from missions. |
| With Watchkeeper delayed, the MoD was forced to plug the gap by spending £206m on leasing nine Hermes 450 drones from the Israeli aerospace firm Elbit, which is part of the Thales-led consortium. | With Watchkeeper delayed, the MoD was forced to plug the gap by spending £206m on leasing nine Hermes 450 drones from the Israeli aerospace firm Elbit, which is part of the Thales-led consortium. |
| Maj Richard Streatfeild, who commanded troops in Sangin, Helmand, in 2009-10 and wrote a book, Honourable Warriors, said Watchkeeper would have been an invaluable asset for operations in Afghanistan as a force multiplier. “That’s a small bit of equipment that makes a huge difference … If you’re able to gather that much more information, then it’s going to make a big difference.” | Maj Richard Streatfeild, who commanded troops in Sangin, Helmand, in 2009-10 and wrote a book, Honourable Warriors, said Watchkeeper would have been an invaluable asset for operations in Afghanistan as a force multiplier. “That’s a small bit of equipment that makes a huge difference … If you’re able to gather that much more information, then it’s going to make a big difference.” |
| “It’s impossible to determine precisely what the impact [of having Watchkeeper] would have been. But the difficulty with the Afghan campaign overall was that we were always very constrained with the resources allocated.” | “It’s impossible to determine precisely what the impact [of having Watchkeeper] would have been. But the difficulty with the Afghan campaign overall was that we were always very constrained with the resources allocated.” |
| Watchkeeper was hailed by Reid as an affordable solution when he first announced the contract in 2005. The project was said at the time to cost £800m. | Watchkeeper was hailed by Reid as an affordable solution when he first announced the contract in 2005. The project was said at the time to cost £800m. |
| A decade on, it currently stands at £927m. A defence spokesman explained that this includes some additional costs such as the deployment of the trio of aircraft to Afghanistan. A report by the Major Projects Authority published in June reveals that the estimated cost of achieving full operation is now £1.2bn. | A decade on, it currently stands at £927m. A defence spokesman explained that this includes some additional costs such as the deployment of the trio of aircraft to Afghanistan. A report by the Major Projects Authority published in June reveals that the estimated cost of achieving full operation is now £1.2bn. |
| The costly delays of Watchkeeper are in contrast to the US army project to acquire a large drone independent of the air force. It has bought the Gray Eagle, of the same family as the Reaper drone, from the manufacturer General Atomics. This is satellite and radio controlled and can carry missiles. | The costly delays of Watchkeeper are in contrast to the US army project to acquire a large drone independent of the air force. It has bought the Gray Eagle, of the same family as the Reaper drone, from the manufacturer General Atomics. This is satellite and radio controlled and can carry missiles. |
| Col Kemp said: “The lesson here must be that we should be far more willing to purchase proven off-the-shelf solutions, especially those developed by the United States, rather than always insisting on our own bespoke technology.” | Col Kemp said: “The lesson here must be that we should be far more willing to purchase proven off-the-shelf solutions, especially those developed by the United States, rather than always insisting on our own bespoke technology.” |