UK to double armed drone fleet with $125m deal

Europe, News December 5, 2016 , by IRIA No Comments

UK fleet of armed drones will double after a $125m (£100m) development deal with US arms manufacturer General Atomics for Predator B unmanned systems, the United Kingdom’s Defense secretary Michael Fallon announced.

Michael Fallon, the UK’s top defense official, made the announcement at the start of the Reagan National Defense Forum, held outside Los Angeles. The announcement, he said, would “double our own UAV fleet.”

The RAF will call the drone Protector instead of Reaper or Predator. The new drones would feature an automated takeoff and landing capability and will be armed with the Brimstone 2, a U.K.-manufactured missile and Paveway IV laser-guided bombs.

Fallon said that the deal is set to boost Royal Air Force’s firepower, imaging and intelligence gathering – enhancing communications from ground with the drones.

The maker of the Predator and Reaper drones used widely by the US will provide 10 drones to the Royal Air Force, bringing the fleet from 10 to 20, an increase announced last year by then prime minister David Cameron, as part of the strategic defence review.

The drones will be variants of the Reaper, the more advanced version of the Predator. Test flights are slated for 2019 and, pending certification, the drones will be ready for integration into the British fleet in 2021.

Speaking at the at the Reagan National Defense Forum in southern California, Fallon said, “Britain faces ever evolving threats and we must look at innovative solutions to stay ahead of our enemies. Doubling investment in our unmanned air fleet will substantially enhance both the intelligence gathering and firepower of the RAF.”