Thales Watchkeeper WK450

Overview

The Thales Watchkeeper WK450 is an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) for intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition, and reconnaissance (ISTAR) used by the British Army. 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 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.