UK to Replace Troubled Watchkeeper Drone with Ukraine’s Raybird
The British Army will retire its Watchkeeper drone fleet in March 2027, replacing it with Ukraine’s Raybird reconnaissance drone under Project Corvus, a move prompted by the evolving landscape of modern warfare and the limitations of the older Watchkeeper system. The Ministry of Defence (MoD) has ruled out gifting the Watchkeeper drones to Ukraine, opting instead for a complete system replacement.
Defence Minister Luke Pollard explained in a written response to Conservative MP Mark Francois that the decision to prioritize newer, more cost-effective unmanned systems stemmed from the rapid advancements in drone technology, particularly as demonstrated by the war in Ukraine. “Drone technology has evolved at remarkable pace, driven by the extensive use of unmanned systems in the war in Ukraine,” Pollard stated. The Watchkeeper, which entered service in 2010, was deemed no longer fit for purpose in the face of these developments.
The Raybird drone, developed by Ukraine’s Skyeton company, has been battle-tested in active combat and is being promoted as a viable successor to the Watchkeeper. The UK’s Project Corvus ISR program aims to deliver the new system in November 2026, ahead of the Watchkeeper’s planned out-of-service date.
The Watchkeeper program, plagued by delays, crashes, and budget overruns since its inception, cost £1.35 billion. Despite being based on the Israeli Hermes 450 drone, it faced significant challenges reaching full operational capability, taking 14 years to do so. After its initial deployment to Afghanistan in 2014 for a brief four-week period, the drones primarily flew training missions in the UK and Cyprus, with limited operational use. A short deployment supporting Border Force operations to curb refugee crossings in 2022 involved 21 flights.
The MoD has allocated £115.886 million between November 2024 and March 2027 to support the managed withdrawal of the Watchkeeper system and the transition to the new capability offered by Project Corvus. Pollard emphasized that the UK will continue to support Ukraine, equipping Kyiv “as best One can to defend its sovereign territory and ensure We see in a position of strength for any peace negotiations,” but that the Watchkeeper itself was not the appropriate platform for that support.
The decision to replace the Watchkeeper aligns with a 2020 assessment by the US Air Force, which concluded that medium-altitude long-endurance (MALE) drones are not survivable in contested airspace. Recent events, including the downing of at least 15 US MQ-9 Reaper drones over Yemen since late 2023, further reinforce this assessment.
The new Corvus system is intended to provide the British Army with a 24-hour endurance reconnaissance capability, supporting operations at the divisional and corps levels. It will be operated by the 47th Regiment Royal Artillery, the current operators of the Watchkeeper system. The system is designed for continuous surveillance, reconnaissance, target acquisition, and intelligence gathering.
The Watchkeeper, while intended to be an all-weather system, reportedly performed poorly in adverse weather conditions. The UK is also offering an export version of the platform, the Watchkeeper X, with enhanced sensors and capabilities, to international customers.
The Watchkeeper’s key characteristics include a maximum flight duration of approximately 16-20 hours, a range exceeding 150 km, a cruising speed of 125-175 km/h, and a service ceiling of 4,900-6,000 meters. It has a length of approximately 6.5 meters, a wingspan of 10.5-10.9 meters, a maximum takeoff weight of 470-485 kg, and a payload capacity of 150 kg.
