UK Will Not Send Watchkeeper Drones to Ukraine; Fleet to Be Decommissioned

The UK Ministry of Defence has decided not to deploy Watchkeeper reconnaissance drones to Ukraine and will instead decommission them.

UK Defence Journal reported this decision.

In a written reply to Conservative MP Mark Francois, Defence Minister Luke Pollard said the government is moving to newer, more cost-effective drone systems to replace Watchkeeper.

He confirmed that the retired drones will not be transferred to Ukraine.

Pollard added that the UK and its partners will continue supporting Kyiv by providing the equipment needed to defend its territory and strengthen its position in any future peace talks.

He explained the decision not to transfer the Watchkeeper drones, noting that they were inducted into service in 2010 and are now considered outdated, particularly given the rapid pace of drone technology development in Ukraine.

According to the Minister, the department has shifted its focus to “more cost-effective unmanned systems with comparable capabilities, capable of operating in the most challenging environments.”

The same fate awaits the UK’s MQ-9 Reaper drones, which will also be decommissioned rather than transferred to Ukraine or sold to other countries.

Further responses also outlined the financial implications of winding down the Watchkeeper program. Pollard confirmed that the total budget allocated to the system between November 2024, when its withdrawal from service was announced, and March 2027 amounts to £115.886 million.

These funds are intended to ensure a controlled decommissioning process while the British Army transitions to a new solution.

The reference is to the Corvus program, with an estimated cost of around £130 million. It covers the development of a next-generation unmanned aerial system capable of providing 24/7 continuous surveillance, intelligence gathering, target detection, and reconnaissance in combat conditions.

The new system is intended to support operations at the division and corps levels and will be operated by the 47th Regiment, Royal Artillery, the unit that currently operates the Watchkeeper system.

Watchkeeper

Watchkeeper is a British tactical reconnaissance unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) developed jointly by Thales UK and Israel’s Elbit Systems.

It is designed to perform ISR/ISTAR missions – intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance, target acquisition, and identification – and has served as the primary reconnaissance drone of the British Army.

Watchkeeper is based on the Elbit Hermes 450 platform, but has been significantly modified for UK requirements, featuring additional sensors, automated flight functions, and integration into command-and-control networks.

During its service life, Watchkeeper encountered several technical delays and issues. Although the platform was initially expected to remain in service until 2042, it has been frequently criticized since the early 2020s for high operating costs, technical unreliability, and limited availability.