Royal Navy to get its first drone
£30m contract will see ScanEagle aircraft launched from the back of ships using a catapult
The navy is to get its first unmanned drone, an “eye in the sky” that will be launched from the back of its ships by catapult.
The ScanEagle has a wingspan of just over 3 metres, weighs 22kg, and will fly at 60 knots. It was bought by the Ministry of Defence in a £30m contract with Insitu, a subsidiary of Boeing Defence UK Limited.
It is the first drone designed and built specifically for naval operations. The contract is the latest in what is certain to be a long-term drone programme for all three branches of the armed forces. ScanEagle will complement existing intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities used on operations including helicopters and long range radar, the MoD said on Thursday. It is already used by the navies of other countries.
It will be operated by a specialist team on board the ship who will analyse the information the drone gathers using what the MoD described as state-of-the-art sensors, before remotely guiding it back to the ship.
Captain Ian Annett said the ScanEagle represented an important addition to the navy’s “intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capability”.
He said: “Its ability to deploy during the day and night, coupled with the technology it uses, will give commanders a clearer picture of the operational situation whenever it’s required.”
The minister for defence equipment, Philip Dunne, said the drone “provides the Royal Navy with proven surveillance capability that has already been used on operations by other nations, so we know we are getting top-quality equipment. The technology is off-the-shelf and will be available to the Royal Navy as soon as possible.
“Our continued investment in intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance systems is essential to keeping our armed forces up to date with the latest capabilities and this will be a central part of the MoD’s investment in new equipment over the next 10 years.”
