Defence

The UK Ministry of Defence has signed a £3 million ($5.2 million) contract with Thales UK to provide continued demonstrations of Boeing’s ScanEagle unmanned air vehicle system during the final year of its Joint UAV Experimentation Programme.

The demonstration, taking place off Benbecula, Scotland, next March, will for the first time involve the launch, recovery and Level 5 control of a UAV from a Royal Navy vessel. The ScanEagle, providing maritime and land surveillance, interdiction and naval fire support, will also be controlled from a navy Westland Sea King ASaC Mk7 helicopter. Building on a series of trials earlier this year, the flights will also seek to demonstrate the 15h-endurance ScanEagle UAV’s ability to operate in a similar sea state to the Type 23 frigate’s embarked Westland Lynx helicopter, says a programme official.