bobdina
07-23-2010, 06:04 PM
Farnborough Airshow 2010: 'Watchkeeper' drone can detect footprints from above clouds
A new British-made military drone, expected to be fielded in Afghanistan by 2012, carries radar so sensitive it can detect individual footprints, say its makers.
By Tom Chivers
Published: 3:55PM BST 21 Jul 2010
The Watchkeeper unmanned spyplane, created by Thales UK and intended to be used by the Royal Artillery as a spotter, should not only be able to see people on the ground - even through cloud - but the shallow marks they leave in the dirt as they pass.
It is a modified version of an Israeli drone, the Hermes 450, with French and British parts added. The Hermes 450 is currently used by British troops in Afghanistan under lease from the Israeli army, and the Watchkeeper is intended to replace it.
Speaking at the Farnborough International Airshow, Nick Miller, the business director for unmanned air vehicle (UAV) systems at Thale, told reporters that the Ministry of Defence will receive its first Watchkeepers from next year. They will start operations in Afghanistan the year after that, following government testing.
Drones like the Hermes 450 are used to detect enemy forces before they near British troops. Major Matt Moore, of the Royal Artillery, explained to The Register that unmanned spy drones deployed in Iraq spot bombers or gunmen before they act, and warn friendly forces or call in a strike from armed aircraft.
The other common use for UAVs is observing "patterns of life", watching ordinary activity in local villages and so on, so that when something out of the ordinary is going on - for example, groups of people on the move at night - they can be flagged for futher investigation.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/transport/farnborough-airshow/7902988/Farnborough-Airshow-2010-Watchkeeper-drone-can-detect-footprints-from-above-clouds.html
A new British-made military drone, expected to be fielded in Afghanistan by 2012, carries radar so sensitive it can detect individual footprints, say its makers.
By Tom Chivers
Published: 3:55PM BST 21 Jul 2010
The Watchkeeper unmanned spyplane, created by Thales UK and intended to be used by the Royal Artillery as a spotter, should not only be able to see people on the ground - even through cloud - but the shallow marks they leave in the dirt as they pass.
It is a modified version of an Israeli drone, the Hermes 450, with French and British parts added. The Hermes 450 is currently used by British troops in Afghanistan under lease from the Israeli army, and the Watchkeeper is intended to replace it.
Speaking at the Farnborough International Airshow, Nick Miller, the business director for unmanned air vehicle (UAV) systems at Thale, told reporters that the Ministry of Defence will receive its first Watchkeepers from next year. They will start operations in Afghanistan the year after that, following government testing.
Drones like the Hermes 450 are used to detect enemy forces before they near British troops. Major Matt Moore, of the Royal Artillery, explained to The Register that unmanned spy drones deployed in Iraq spot bombers or gunmen before they act, and warn friendly forces or call in a strike from armed aircraft.
The other common use for UAVs is observing "patterns of life", watching ordinary activity in local villages and so on, so that when something out of the ordinary is going on - for example, groups of people on the move at night - they can be flagged for futher investigation.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/transport/farnborough-airshow/7902988/Farnborough-Airshow-2010-Watchkeeper-drone-can-detect-footprints-from-above-clouds.html