After turning down the opportunity to be Watchkeeperdrone to Ukraine, the UK Ministry of Defense has confirmed that the system will be replaced later in 2026.
According to it UK Defence Journal the information was confirmed by the Minister of Defense Luke Pollard. In a letter, he said the government was prioritizing newer and more cost-effective unmanned systems instead of the Watchkeeper transfer to Ukraine.
He stated that the United Kingdom and its partners will continue to equip Kyiv “in the best possible way to defend its sovereign territory and ensure it is in a strong position for any peace negotiations.”
But Pollard added that since the commissioning of the Watchkeeper in 2010, “drone technology has evolved at a remarkable pace, driven by the extensive use of unmanned systems in the war in Ukraine.”
For this reason, the ministry decided to focus on supplying “more cost-effective drones that offer comparable capabilities and can operate in the most demanding environments,” instead of older platforms such as the Watchkeeper Mk1.
Pollard also confirmed that the total budget allocated to the Watchkeeper allocated between November 2024, when the exit was announced, and March 2027 amounts to approximately USD 160 million. He said this funding supports the controlled phase-out of the system as the Army transitions to a replacement capability.
This replacement, the Corvus project, is expected to be delivered in November 2026, ahead of the Watchkeeper’s scheduled retirement in March 2027. Pollard said that “with the retirement of the Watchkeeper Mk1 the Army will quickly transition to a new and advanced system that builds on the latest operational learnings and technological innovations.”
Photo: British Ministry of Defense. This content was created using AI and reviewed by the editorial team.
