The UK Ministry of Defence has procured more than 250 mini surveillance drones for the armed forces, including foldable ones weighing just over 2.5kg.
The small, packable Indago drone and the Stalker, a near-silent drone weighing 20kg and providing more than eight hours of images, will be operational by the end of 2024.
The new remotely piloted systems will help UK troops find and identify targets and gather intelligence, replacing the mini uncrewed aerial systems.
Lockheed Martin UK was awarded a £129 million ($157 million) contract to deliver the drones, supporting jobs at the company and in the supply chain for the next decade, the ministry said.
“As the global threat changes, it’s crucial we remain at the forefront of innovation, delivering cutting-edge capabilities to our deployed forces," said defence procurement minister Alex Chalk.
“This is another fantastic example of British industry supporting UK defence technology.”
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