A Watchkeeper UK Army drone costing £30 million has plunged into the sea — the seventh in the £1.2 billion programme to crash.
The unmanned surveillance craft, weighing almost half a ton and with 11-metre wings, took off from a base in Cyprus.
It crashed while being flown from RAF Akrotiri, Limassol, when it plummeted into the sea on May 29 during a routine training flight.
The Watchkeeper first entered service in 2014 in Afghanistan.
But the high-tech platform has crashed at least seven times, with two lost off the coast of Wales and a number crashing on landing.
One was lost during a test flight to see how the UAV would cope with ‘icing’ conditions.
The latest drone to have crashed was being flown from RAF Akrotiri on Cyprus when it plummeted into the sea on May 29 during a routine training flight.
The aerial surveillance platform has been beset by problems and has seen the budget spiral from £800m to more than £1.4 million.
Former Armed Forces minister Mark Francois fumed: “The MoD must get a grip.
“This system, which entered service years late, has been plagued by problems. Yet we see other drones performing successfully in Ukraine, on an almost daily basis.”
The latest crash happened on May 29 during a routine training flight.
They are flown by the 47th Regiment Royal Artillery, based at Larkhill, Wilts. The Army the Watchkeeper crashed “during routine flying training” from its Akrotiri base in Cyprus.
A spokesperson said: “This aircraft has been recovered and an investigation is underway.”
Source: The Sun