Watchkeeper

IHS Janes All the Worlds Aircraft: Unmanned

Mark Daly April 2013

www.ihs.com/jawau

Image Thales

Watchkeeper IHS Janes All the Worlds Aircraft: Unmanned

1. Type
Close-range/short-range intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition and reconnaissance (ISTAR) Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV).

2. Development
Studies of UAVs to meet land commanders tactical reconnaissance requirements after the BAE Systems Phoenix retires were approved by the UK MoD in June 1998, and were allocated the programme names Sender and Spectator. The risk reduction phase was handled for DPA by the Defence Evaluation and Research Agency (DERA, now QinetiQ) at Farnborough. Four teams bidding for the Sender programme were shortlisted in the second quarter of 2000, and were then asked to study possible extrapolation of their proposals to encompass the Spectator requirement as well. The new combined requirement was given the programme name Watchkeeper. Industry spokespersons subsequently indicated that Watchkeeper could result in an acquisition of a range of assets, possibly including high- and medium-altitude air vehicles and some with maritime capability. Sender entered Assessment Stage 1 in May 2000 with the selection of four teams, led by BAE Systems, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman and Thales, to submit their proposals in June 2001 to meet the MoDs ISTAR capability requirement. See earlier editions for details of these team members. Contracts worth GBP3.1 million (USD4.3 million) to each of the four team leaders followed in September 2000, to deliver one-year, risk-reduction assessment phase studies to the MoD in 2001. Assessment Stage 1 ended in September 2001, and was followed by six-month (from November 2001) study contracts leading to a 12- to 18-month Systems Integration and Assurance Phase (SIAP) stage starting in the second quarter of 2002. Bids by the four teams, whose composition had by then undergone some changes, were submitted by the 14 March 2002 deadline and followed by formal presentations to the DPA on 14 June. Acceleration of the programme was announced by the MoD in July, and down-selection to two semi-finalists was then expected in late August 2002. However, announcement of the choice of these did not occur until 7 February 2003, when it was revealed that the Northrop Grumman and Thales UK teams had been selected to proceed to the next stage. Make-up of these teams then underwent further changes.

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Watchkeeper IHS Janes All the Worlds Aircraft: Unmanned

A Joint Services Trials Unit (JSTU) was created in 2003, comprising No 32 Regiment Royal Artillery, No 792 Squadron Royal Navy and No 100 Squadron Royal Air Force. The SIAP semi-finalist teams delivered their technical submissions to the DPA on 18 December 2003. Their responses to the Invitation To Tender (ITT) were followed by operational capability assessment (OCA) flight demonstrations at the QinetiQ Aberporth range in March 2004. Watchkeeper requirements include ability to work within the British Armys Bowman communications network; interoperability with the services Apache attack helicopters and the RAFs ASTOR surveillance aircraft, and 100 per cent offset manufacturing in the UK of the chosen system. According to the MoD in February 2003, programme cost is in the region of GBP800 million, and the winning system is expected to have an in-service life of some 30 years. The Thales team was selected as preferred bidder on 20 July 2004. Negotiations began immediately, with the object of achieving IOC from around the end of 2006 and full operational capability in 2007. A GBP6 million interim contract was awarded to the Thales team in January 2005, ahead of the so-called main gate award, which was received six months later. Announcement of the latter, however, indicated that the service entry date for Watchkeeper had been postponed to 2010. In the immediate future, Watchkeeper is now in the demonstration and manufacturing phase, for which Thales and Elbit formed a joint venture company, U-TacS (UAV Tactical Systems Ltd), with a manufacturing facility at Leicester, UK, to achieve the necessary transfer of technology. First flight in the UK of a Hermes 450 development prototype took place at Parc Aberporth in early September 2006, with a 5-hour, first full flight following on 7th of that month. The first flight of Watchkeeper took place at Megido, northern Israel, on 16 April 2008. In July automated take-off and landing flights using Thaless MAGIC ATOLS were performed and validated in the presence of the UK Ministry of Defence at Megido. Trials in Israel were completed in June 2009, and the Watchkeeper programme moved to Parc Aberporth in West Wales for further flight trials and ground systems tests. Watchkeepers first UK flight took place on 14 April 2010 from Parc Aberporth. During 2010 the Watchkeeper training centre was scheduled to start operations at Larkhill, Salisbury, where the simulator is based. The UK MoD awarded Thales the initial three-year support contract for the Watchkeeper programme in April 2010. Two air vehicles were taking part in the test programme in 2011 and 400 hours had been accumulated in 270 flights in Israel and the UK, and the first operational deployment to Afghanistan was planned at the end of the year.

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Watchkeeper IHS Janes All the Worlds Aircraft: Unmanned

3. Description
Airframe High-aspect ratio high-wing monoplane with turned-down tips and single tailmounted engine, V tail unit (included angle 100) and non-retractable tricycle landing gear. Construction is of composites. APPH nosewheel unit. Mission payloads Fully stabilised EO/IR (Elop CoMPASS) and SAR sensors (Thales I-Master SAR/GMTI). Laser target marketing, ranging and designation. VHF/UHF and GSM communications rebroadcast. Options include communications EW/comint and counter IED payloads. Extended endurance fuel tanks can be fitted. Guidance and control Intended to be compatible with British Army Bowman system. Cubic Defense Applications received a USD52 million contract in 2006 to develop an advanced datalink that will incorporate both tactical common datalink (TCDL) and high integrity datalink (HIDL) features. Under subcontract to Cubic, Ultra Electronics will assist in this development. In January 2007, Athena Technologies GuideStar combined INS/GPS and air data sensor suite was chosen for Watchkeeper. Launch Conventional and automatic wheeled take-off. Recovery Conventional and automatic wheeled landing.

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Watchkeeper IHS Janes All the Worlds Aircraft: Unmanned

4. Specifications
Dimensions, External Overall length: height: Fuselage width: Wings wing span: wing chord: Tailplane tailplane span: Wheels wheel track: Dimensions, Internal Payload bay volume: Areas Wings Gross wing area: Weights and Loadings Weight Weight empty: Max T-O weight: Fuel weight Max fuel weight: Payload Max payload: Performance T-O T-O run: Climb Rate of climb: Altitude Operating altitude: Speed Max level speed: Cruising speed: Stalling speed: Radius of operation: Endurance:

6.10 m (20 ft 0 in) 2.37 m (7 ft 9 in) 0.52 m (1 ft 8 in) 10.51 m (34 ft 5 in) 0.69 m (2 ft 3 in) [constant] 2.95 m (9 ft 8 in) 1.45 m (4 ft 9 in)

0.30 m (10.6 cu ft) [Hermes 450]

6.90 m (74.3 sq ft)

200 kg (440 lb) [Hermes 450] 450 kg (992 lb) [Hermes 450] 105 kg (231 lb) [usable, Hermes 450] 150 kg (330 lb) [Hermes 450] 120 kg (264 lb) [with satcom antenna, Hermes 450]

350 m (1,149 ft) 274 m/min (900 ft/min) [max, at S/L] 5,485 m (18,000 ft) [max] 95 kt (176 km/h; 109 mph) 70 kt (130 km/h; 81 mph) 42 kt (78 km/h; 49 mph) 108 n miles (200 km; 124 miles) [Hermes 450] 20 hr [Hermes 450]

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Watchkeeper IHS Janes All the Worlds Aircraft: Unmanned

5. Status & Customers

Demonstration and manufacturing phase, followed by test and evaluation towards an initial operational capability in 2011-2012. Intended for British Army. Some 54 Watchkeeper air vehicles are on order.

6. Contractor
U-TacS (UAV Tactical Systems Ltd) Thales UK and Elbit Systems (joint company), UK. U-TacS (Thales UK and Elbit Systems): UEL: LogicaCMG: Cubic Defense Applications: Vega Group: Marshall Specialist Vehicles: QinetiQ: Praxis Critical Systems: WK450 air vehicle and subsystems Air vehicle design and engines Command and battlespace management systems and applications Datalinks Training GCS shelters and support Airworthiness consultancy and image data management Programme safety consultancy

This IHS Janes Defence Equipment & Technology reference record is taken from IHS Janes All the Worlds Aircraft: Unmanned.

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Watchkeeper IHS Janes All the Worlds Aircraft: Unmanned

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