Hermes ISTAR deal may be extended

Wednesday, April 14, 2010

Thales UK have said that their deal to lease Hermes H-450 unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to the Minstry of Defence could be extended by six months.

The H-450 fleet has now flown more than 30,000 operational hours in over 2,000 sorties on an 'ISTAR-by-the-hour' arrangement, with the MoD leasing use of the H-450s from Thales.

Thales UK is the prime contractor for the MoD's two tactical unmanned air systems programmes: including the H-450 and the more capable Watchkeeper system, which will be MoD owned and run.

Thales UK's ISTAR (intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition and reconnaissance) contract began in July 2007 in response to an urgent operational requirement contract issued by the Ministry of Defence, and will run through to contract completion in October 2010. Thales say the contract could potentially be extended until April 2011 when the H-450s will be phased out as the Watchkeeper system reaches the front line.

Watchkeeper will provide enhanced capability, including electro-optic/infra red imaging, and synthetic aperture radar/ground moving target indicator (SAR/GMTI) capabilities. UK flight and systems trials for Watchkeeper are due to commence soon at Parc Aberporth in Wales.

Alex Dorrian, CEO of Thales UK, said: "Over the last few years the value of the H-450 in providing crucial ISTAR capability to the UK armed forces has been well and truly confirmed. Building on lessons learnt on current operations, Watchkeeper will also soon be an invaluable asset for commanders on the ground."