Thales awarded Watchkeeper support contract

The UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) has awarded Thales UK the initial three-year support contract for the Watchkeeper Unmanned Air System (UAS) programme, for which Thales UK is also prime systems integrator. The Watchkeeper support solution will be a performance-based Contractor Logistics Support (CLS) service, providing spares and repairs, technical support and the availability of the Watchkeeper training facility. Thales will deliver this service with the support of its key partners and supply chain, established during the Watchkeeper development and production programme. The contract further secures Thales’s role as an expert provider of innovation and support surrounding UASs and other intelligence and surveillance systems. The contract covers the whole Watchkeeper system, comprised of over 160 entities (including unmanned air vehicles, ground control stations and support vehicles), and includes operator / user training. It is the first step in Thales UK’s provision of cost-effective, through-life support to Watchkeeper. The Watchkeeper system is Europe’s largest UAS programme, and will provide enhanced all-weather, dual-sensor multi-mission and image-exploitation, and dissemination capability for the UK armed forces. The programme will contribute significantly to information gathering and force protection by providing the MoD with remote, unmanned intelligence and surveillance monitoring during deployed operations. Defence Equipment & Support (DE&S) UAS Programme Manager Steve Waller, says: "This is a significant milestone, keeping the programme on track to achieve the inservice date and deliver the capability into theatre as soon as is practical."