The same contractor (Thales) providing Israeli Hermes 450 UAVs for British forces in Afghanistan has also offered to provide similar services for the French troops stationed in that region. While Britain develops its own UAV, technical problems have delayed these craft and they will not be as soon as possible and to satisfy that need, they completed an agreement with Thales, which would lease the British Army four Hermes 450s, along with contractor personnel to maintain and help operate the aircraft. This has worked out quite well. The 14 months the Thales Hermes 450s have been in Afghanistan, they have provided about 500 UAV hours in air per month. Thales is paid by the hour a UAV is in the air. This ensures the contractors have an incentive to keep them flying. Thales is using this success to interest the French in a similar deal.
Meanwhile, Britain is working on two new models of UAVs: the Watchkeeper 180 and the Watchkeeper 450. Both UAVs are based on Israeli designs (the Hermes 180 and 450). The Watchkeeper 450, a 992 pound aircraft, is also being equipped to carry Hellfire missiles. This UAV was originally designed to carry two extra fuel tanks under its wings, which actually weigh more than the 110 pound Hellfire the British wish to use with the UAV. The Watchkeeper 450 is 20 feet long and has a 35 foot wingspan. The UAV can remain airborne for as many as 20 hours per sortie and fly as high as 20,000 feet. The Hermes 450 is the primary UAV for the Israeli armed forces and 20 or more were in action each day during the 2006 war in Lebanon. The smaller (14-feet long, 20-foot wingspan) Watchkeeper 180 weighs 430 pounds, has a maximum payload of 77 pounds, and remain airborne for ten hours at a time. Both UAVs have day/night cameras and can supply ground troops with live video. British troops are convinced of the benefits of live video in support of combat operations. Britain will be spending more than US$1.5 billion on the Watchkeeper UAVs — Information courtesy of the STRATEGY PAGE.
