An unmanned military drone has been spotted circling the coast of west Wales near Llangrannog. The Thales Watchkeeper drone used by the British Army is 6.5m long and has a wingspan of 10.9m.
It’s common for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to fly over the coastline near to West Wales Airport in Aberporth where they are trialled. Cardigan Bay is a common flight trial region for the aircraft.
Since 2009, the airport has been home to testing of the Thales Watchkeepers. On its website the airport says the “important UK program worth £1 billion has been developed for the British army under contract from the UK MoD (Ministry of Defence) and made its first flight in the UK from the airport in April, 2010”.
Two Watchkeepers crashed on flights over the bay in 2017 leading to all of the UAVs being grounded for four months. The Watchkeepers are used by the army to provide protection for troops abroad, while they have also been used by the UK Government to patrol borders at the English Channel.
On its website, manufacturer Thales group says: “Watchkeeper can gather vital information on the whereabouts of potential threats, non-combatants and friendly forces. It also supports route reconnaissance, identifying possible threat locations and providing detailed terrain information.
"Watchkeeper can identify and pinpoint targets, and, when appropriate, control or cue military action. Its sensors and laser subsystem provide accurate target location data to support precision assets, and can mark targets for ground forces. [It] can transmit high quality images and video securely and reliably to numerous locations, giving commanders information and image intelligence (IMINT) that greatly enhances situational awareness."
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