Defence Equipment and Support

Unmanned Air Systems Team (UAS)

The Unmanned Air Systems Team is responsible for all Defence Equipment & Support Unmanned Air Vehicle projects.

Unmanned vehicle in flight (Picture: SUAVE IPT)

Reaper UAV (Picture: UAV Team)

The Unmanned Air Systems (UAS) Team is responsible for delivering all Defence Equipment & Support (DE&S) Unmanned Air Vehicle programmes. This team also directs the United Kingdom's Unmanned Air System related acquisition policy and standards. This includes Unmanned Air System safety and engineering discipline, directing future research & development and providing guidance to industry.

The Unmanned Air System Team manages the following portfolio:

Nano Unmanned Air System

  • A miniature Unmanned Air System, weighing as little as 200gms, that will deliver man-portable ‘over the hill’ Intelligence, Surveillance, Target Acquisition and Reconnaissance (ISTAR) for the infantry soldier

Remote Video Terminals

  • Providing imagery downlink feds from a wide range of ISTAR collectors
  • Supporting Land Component Commander and Naval Operations


Desert Hawk III Unmanned Air Vehicle

Delivering highly flexible and responsive ISTAR to the front-line soldiers today:

  • Supporting front line troops on current operations
  • Small and portable delivering day/night ISTAR
  • Operated and maintained by the Royal Artillery


Hermes 450

Delivering ISTAR to front line soldiers today and informing tomorrow’s requirements:

  • Delivering day/night ISTAR to current operations
  • Operated and maintained by the Royal Artillery
  • Multiple Tasking Lines
  • Delivering full motion video to the LAND Commander


Watchkeeper

Due to enter service in 2012:

  • Delivering day/night, all weather, expeditionary ISTAR capability
  • Operated and maintained by the Royal Artillery
  • Delivering full motion video to the LAND Commander
  • Automatic take-off and landing


Reaper

Provides an armed Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) capability 24 hours per day:

  • Remotely flown by the RAF’s 39 Squadron
  • Synthetic aperture radar, real-time video and infra-red sensors
  • Disseminating imagery to front-line soldiers and operational commanders
  • Capable of carrying air-to-ground Missiles & Laser guided bombs
  • In-theatre contractor logistic support


Taranis

Joint-funded Technical Demonstrator Project will show the integration of off-the-shelf technologies:

  • Signature reduction
  • Air vehicle performance
  • Vehicle maintenance
  • Command and control
  • Communications integration
  • Payload integration (emulated weapons release)


Medium Altitude Long Endurance (MALE)

  • An Unmanned Aerial Vehicle that can fly for extended durations of time (up to 48 hours) and is capable of undertaking persistent ISTAR at all levels of command:
  • Where required, able to provide timely precision strike against a defined target set
  • On 2 Nov 10 the UK FR Summit announced the intent for the UK to collaborate with France in jointly managing the Assessment Phase of the MALE programme. The programme is currently in the Assessment Phase.




Page updated 11 August 2011


UAV Team Quick Facts

Team Leader: Mr Jonathan Barratt

Contact Details

Miss Sarah Hunt


UAS-Pol3
UAS Team
Spruce 0a #1002
MOD Abbey Wood,
Bristol
BS34 8JH
desuas-pol3@mod.uk

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