WASHINGTON, Oct. 15 (UPI) -- Thales Group announced their Watchkeeper unmanned aircraft system successfully flew alongside commercial aircraft through U.K. civil airspace on Sept. 30.
The flight marks the first time a certified UAS has flown in both civilian and military airspace. The trial was part of Project CLAIRE, a collaboration between Thales, the U.K. Ministry of Defence, the Dutch National Aerospace Laboratory, and the U.K. Civil Aviation Authority. The Watchkeeper was also the first craft of its type to be awarded a Release to Service.
The program is a response to the growing need for drones to be used for civilian purposes such as search and rescue, commercial, homeland security, and infrastructure and border protection. Air Commodore Pete Grinsted, Head of Unmanned Air Systems Team at the MOD's Defense, Equipment and Support, said the flight marks an important step toward exploring more uses for unmanned craft.
"The successful flight is the result of months of systematic planning to ensure Watchkeeper was safely controlled by UK Air Traffic Control agencies at all times," Grinsted said in a statement. "This is also an exciting step on the path to safely integrating military and civilian unmanned air systems into civilian airspace over the coming years."
The Watchkeeper X tactical UAS was designed by Thales for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance based on the Watchkeeper program. It has over 16 hours of endurance and has a maximum transit speed of 95 knots.
