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UK Drone Operations It was the USA and, later, Israel that began experimenting with using drones for surveillance and targeting purposes in military operations in the 1960s and 1970s. It was not until the 1980s that the UK issued a contract for a reconnaissance drone to be used in conjunction with its artillery systems. GEC-—Marconi's Phoenix drone won the contract but was plagued with problems.’ It eventually managed to stagger into service in 1999 and saw limited service in the Kosovo war. In all, 198 Phoenix drones were delivered to the British Army, each costing £1.5 million.’ Phoenix suffered a high attrition rate in active service. Introduced in 1998 and supposed to remain in service until 2013, it was retired in 2006. In July 2005, the UK government announced that it was placing an £800-million contract for the development of the Watchkeeper drone to provide surveillance, reconnaissance and targeting for the British Army's artillery regiment.’ In June 2007, UK forces began using Israeli Hermes 450 drones in Afghanistan as a stop-gap measure until the Watchkeepers were ready. The UK began using Reaper drones in operations in Afghanistan in October 2007," with the first British Reaper drone strike taking place in June 2008."* The Royal Air Force (RAF) currently has five General Atomics MQ-9 Reapers operated by RAF 39 Squadron. Although the Reaper drones themselves are physically in Afghanistan (based at Kandahar Airport), they are controlled from Creech Air Force Base in Nevada via satellite.° The Reaper drone, which can fly for around 18 hours and has a range of around 6,000 kilometres, normally operates at around 25,000 feet [7,600 metres] but can fly at twice that height. It carries up to four Hellfire missiles and two 500-pound laser-guided bombs.” The UK Ministry of Defence [MoD] has repeatedly refused to give details about the circumstances in which Reaper drones launch their weapons, arguing that the rules of engagement for unmanned drones are the same as those for manned aircraft. The rules of engagement, however, remain classified. At the end of 2010, the UK Prime Minister David Cameron announced the purchase of a further five Reaper drones and associated ground-control stations at a cost of £135 million."* These additional drones are due to be operational in Afghanistan by 2013. In September 2011, RAF Wing Commander Gary Coleman briefed defence industry delegates on Reaper operations at a UAV conference. His presentation,” obtained by Drone Wars UK under the Freedom of Information Act, revealed that: ¢ from mid-2012, there will be 44 Reaper crews operating UK Reapers with three Reapers constantly flying 24/7; ¢ Hellfire missiles are three times more likely to be used in British drone strikes than the 500-pound Paveway bomb; e if "lower-yield weapons" had been available, more strikes would have been undertaken. In April 2011, the MoD announced that it had reached a significant landmark in its operation of Reaper drones: 20,000 operational flying hours over Afghanistan." In September, another milestone was passed: the 200th British drone strike. As always, details about the circumstances of the strike remain secret. satellite.” The Reaper drone, which can fly for around 18 — Future UK Armed Drones ours and has a range of around 6,000 kilometres, The UK has two separate ongoing programmes to normally operates at around 25,000 feet [7,600 metres] but develop new armed drones. In December 2006, the can fly at twice that height. It carries up to four Hellfire Ministry of Defence signed a £127-million contract with missiles and two 500-pound laser-guided bombs.” BAE Systems and others to design and build an experimental armed combat drone.” The product of this research and development is the one-off Taranis drone, which was unveiled at BAE's Warton site in July 2010.” Separately from the Taranis programme, the UK and BAE Systems have been jointly funding the development of the Mantis drone since 2007. Mantis is an armed, Medium Altitude, Long Endurance (MALE) drone similar to the Reaper. Unlike Reaper, however, Mantis is not remotely controlled but flies autonomously, following a pre- programmed flight plan. Mantis reached the end of its first stage of development when it flew for the first time at the Woomera range in The General Atomics MQ-9 Reaper, used by the US Air Force, US Customs and Australia in October 2009.”’ Border Protection, Royal Air Force (UK) and Aeronautica Militare (Italian Air Force). In November 2010, a significant Taranis The General Atomics MQ-9 Reaper, used by the US Air Force, US Customs and Border Protection, Royal Air Force (UK) and Aeronautica Militare (Italian Air Force). 12 * NEXUS APRIL - MAY 2012 — | www.nexusmagazine.com