Watchkeeper Mk.1: British Armed Forces to retire drones as part of a savings programme

The British Armed Forces' Watchkeeper Mk.1 drones are to be withdrawn from service, Defence Secretary John Healy has said. The move is part of a wide-ranging cost-cutting programme to save around 600 million euros.

The retirement is surprising because the drone type is still relatively new: the Watchkeeper reached full operational capability only in 2018, and production ran until 2021. However, technical problems and massive cost overruns – in development and operation alike – increasingly made the platform a burden.

Healy justified the move: “The modern army needs flexible, reliable unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) that can operate in difficult conditions. Retiring the Watchkeeper Mk.1 allows us to move quickly to more advanced solutions based on operational experience”.

Watchkeeper Mk.1 builds on Elbit Systems design

The Watchkeeper Mk.1 is based on the Israeli Hermes 450 from Elbit Systems; further development was handled by Thales UK. The model did not meet the high expectations. Nevertheless, the Romanian Armed Forces opted for the Watchkeeper X variant as recently as 2022, ordering three systems for just under 180 million euros.

The air force and Royal Navy also face further cuts. The Royal Air Force is to retire 17 Puma helicopters and 14 Chinooks. Also likely to be decommissioned are the two amphibious assault ships “HMS Albion” and “HMS Bulwark” as well as the Type 23 frigate “HMS Northumberland”.