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British military has 500 drones | World news | The Guardian
Slightly confused by the figures in this story:
Watchkeepers: 54 purchased, 27 delivered (and facility at Aberporth hardly looks big enough to contain them all…)
Reapers: 10, five in Afghanistan, five on their way there
Hermes 450: ? - leased from Thales/Elbit, not owned, stationed in Afghanistan.So the 500 includes 400+ small drones such as the tiny Black Hornet, the flying lawnmower T-Hawk and the RC-Plane Desert Hawk [British Army UAS page]. Unsure if Taranis counts as still in development/testing? Still seems like a lot based on published figures - but then we should know/assume that all published stuff is a couple of years behind the actuality.
Also, weird sidenote: the Reapers won’t be coming back to the UK after the withdrawal from Afghanistan apparently. Have we created a weapons system so reviled it can’t even be stationed in the home country, even in “peacetime”? Has this ever been true before?
Date liked: 2014/04/25 22:04:33
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Liked from: One Visible Future
Originally posted from: theguardian.com
Original link: http://www.theguardian.com/uk/2013/may/06/british-military-500-drones
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