A Tekever AR3 drone providing aerial surveillance to reduce migrant crossings ‘malfunctioned’ and plunged into the English Channel.
The £420,000 Home Office drone, which was supposed to be scouring the sea for migrants, was instead discovered floating in the waves by a bemused fisherman
The skipper strapped the high-tech device — which has a 3.5meter (11ft) wingspan — to the back of his boat with ropes and hauled it back to port in Dover.
It is the latest setback in the Government’s attempts to thwart cross-Channel people smugglers, 15,00 of whom have already made the trip this year, with 1,600 in the past ten days alone.
A Dover local told The Sun:
“It wasn’t exactly what the skipper expected to catch on a fishing trip in the Channel. He found the drone floating in the sea and tied it to the back of his boat with a few ropes and brought it back to harbour. He reported it to the authorities who then arranged for it to be collected. It’s an embarrassment for the Government and just adds to the chaos in the Channel right now.”
The fisherman who discovered the drone on July 5 declined to talk about the incident.
The AR3 was operated by private Southampton-based firm Tekever on behalf of the Home Office.
The Home Office said: “We are aware of the incident involving a Tekever drone on July 5, it was recovered and the malfunction has since been corrected. Our ability to operate drones in the Channel has not been impacted.“Evil criminal gangs are putting profit over people by facilitating dangerous and illegal small boat crossings and we are committed to stopping them.”
The 1.7meter-long (five feet) AR3 is designed to be launched by catapult from ships and can remain in the air for 16 hours. It can return to earth by parachute. A drone package that includes parts, training and ground facilities can cost around £420,000.
Tekever chief operating officer Paul Webb said: “During a routine drone operation, a technical malfunction was detected on one of our drones.
“We followed the necessary protocol and landed the drone safely for collection. The cause of malfunction has been identified and corrected.”
Photo: LOUIS WOOD
Source: The Sun