Thales U.K.’s Watchkeeper UAS flew for the first time in the U.K. this month, marking the first milestone in a long-term airworthiness program.
The UAS took off from dedicated facilities at Parc Aberporth in West Wales for a 20-minute flight. The Parc Aberporth facilities, managed by QinetiQ through the West Wales Unmanned Air vehicle (UAV) Centre, are the premier test facilities for UAVs in the U.K.
"This is a momentous accomplishment in the Watchkeeper program and just one of a number of flight trials scheduled over the coming months,” said Alex Dorrian, CEO of Thales U.K. “2010 is an important year for the programme as it will also see the opening of the Watchkeeper training facility based in Larkhill, and the continuation of the technical field trials at Parc Aberporth.”