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Watchkeeper UAS 'No Longer Fit' For Operations, UK Defense Officials Say
Credit: UK Defense Ministry
LONDON—The British Army has decided to withdraw its Watchkeeper uncrewed aircraft systems (UAS) because they are “no longer fit for operational purpose,” senior defense officials say.
The troubled Thales-made system only reached full operational capability in 2018 but will be withdrawn from use by the end of March 2025. It is one of several platforms that are being sunset early to save money ahead of the UK's upcoming Strategic Defense Review.
Lt. Gen. Robert Magowan, the deputy chief of defense staff for military capability at the UK Defense Ministry, told the UK Parliament’s Defense Committee on Dec. 17 that lessons from Ukraine had determined that platforms like Watchkeeper are too vulnerable. Activity is underway to ensure that an alternative undisclosed capability would be acquired for the army in 2025, he said. Magowan added that Watchkeeper’s early withdrawal saved “quite a long of money” in terms of defense expenditure.
As well as Watchkeeper, the Defense Ministry also decided to retire the remaining Royal Air Force Airbus Puma helicopter fleet and 14 of what Magowan called the “oldest and most expensive” CH-47 Chinook transport helicopters, ahead of the introduction of a new fleet of MH-47G Chinooks from Boeing in 2027 through a capability sustainment program. These Chinooks are referred to as H-47(ER) by the Defense Ministry.
“We thought [retiring early Chinooks] was a prudent thing to do, and that we should be looking to the future in terms of those capabilities,” Magowan said. He added that commanders would be able to “manage” the operational risks associated with having fewer Chinooks available to them. Work is now underway to find a commercial gap-filler rotary-wing capability that will replace the Airbus Pumas in Brunei and Cyprus until their replacement in those two countries, in the form of the Airbus H145 Jupiter twin-engine light helicopters due for delivery in 2026/27.
Magowan said work was continuing on the New Medium Helicopter (NMH) program, noting that that the remaining bidder, Leonardo Helicopters, has offered to build their proposed platform, the AW149, in the UK.
Other bidders in the program, including Airbus and Sikorsky, have dropped out, citing the lack of budget for the project.
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