Watchkeeper WK450
The Thales Watchkeeper is an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) for intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition, and reconnaissance (ISTAR) used by the British Army. Originally, It was developed by UAV Tactical Systems (U-TacS), a joint venture of Elbit Systems UK and Thales UK, and is based on Elbit's Hermes 450, the production entity came under the full ownership of Elbit Systems in January 2026. The Watchkeeper entered full service in 2019, and although previously slated for retirement in March 2025, significantly before its earlier planned out-of-service date of 2042, this has now been extended to an out-of-service date of March 2027.
Summary from Wikipedia, photo via Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA.
- Manufacturer
- Thales Group
- Category
- Reconnaissance
- Country of origin
- United Kingdom
- First flight
- 2010-04-14
Specifications
- Cruise speed
- 77 kt
- Range
- 81 nm
- Service ceiling
- 16,000 ft
- Max takeoff weight
- 1,060 lb
- Powerplant
- Wankel engine
- Engines
- 1
- Length
- 21.3 ft
- Wingspan
- 35.8 ft
- Number built
- 54
Specifications are approximate and may vary by variant. Compiled from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA).
Reference and training only. Specifications vary by variant — consult the manufacturer and the official documents.