Mission Statement:
To manage the through-life acquisition and support of high quality Unmanned Air Systems that satisfy customer requirements and deliver front line operational capability.
Role
This new organisation is responsible for delivering all Defence Equipment & Support Unmanned Air Vehicle programmes and projects and directing the United Kingdoms Unmanned Air System related acquisition policy and standards. This includes Unmanned Air System safety and engineering discipline, whilst directing future Unmanned Air System research & development and provide guidance to industry on all matters Unmanned Air System from within the Defence Equipment & Support.
Background
The team formed on 1 Jan 09 from the merger of the Defence Equipment & Support Strategic Unmanned Air Vehicles Experiment and Tactical Unmanned Air Vehicles Integrated Project Teams.
The Unmanned Air System Project team manage the following portfolio:
Desert Hawk III Mini Unmanned Air Vehicle
Delivering highly flexible and responsive Intelligence,
Surveillance, Target Acquisition and Reconnaissance (ISTAR)
to the front-line soldiers today:
• Supporting frontline troops on current operations
• Small & portable delivering day/night ISTAR
• Operated and maintained by the Royal Artillery
Herti
High Endurance Rapid Technology Insertion Unmanned
Air System:
• Surveillance and Reconnaissance operations
• Automonous Imagery Collection and Exploitation (ICE)
• Operationally Flexible Solution
• High quality Imagery
• Trialled by RAF in a war fighting experiment
• Integration with current and future information networks
Hermes 450
Delivering Intelligence, Surveillance, Target Acquisition and
Reconnaissance (ISTAR) to the 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
A Category A, Post-Main Gate Unmanned Air System Programme, due to enter
service in 2010:
• Delivering day/night, all weather, expeditionary
Intelligence, Surveillance, Target Acquisition and
Reconnaissance (ISTAR) capability
• Operated and maintained by the Royal Artillery
• Delivering Full Motion Video to the LAND Commander
• Automatic Take-off and Landing
Reaper
An Urgent Operational Requirement to provide all weather
Intelligence, Surveillance, Target Acquisition and
Reconnaissance (ISTAR) capability, 24 hours/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
Mantis
Advanced Concept Technology Demonstrator programme, providing the foundation for a UK developed Armed Deep and Persistent ISTAR Unmanned Air System (UAS) Capability.
Being developed in partnership with BAE SYSTEMS and other UK Industries
• Highly Autonomous
• Modular open architecture solution to maximise flexibility
• High quality multi-sensor capabilities
• All weather operational capability
• Anticipated endurance of 24Hrs+
• Designed for carriage and release of weapons
• Potential to be certified for operations in non-segregated airspace