Estonia: Unmanned Air Systems
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he plans to permanently deploy a drone-specialist regiment in Estonia.
Answered by Luke Pollard
A battery from 47th Regiment Royal Artillery successfully deployed to Estonia this August to operate the Watchkeeper system as part of Exercise ATHENA SHIELD. This was a proof-of-concept exercise to fly Watchkeeper at the latest build standard, in a strategically relevant theatre.
Lessons from this deployment are still being analysed and no decisions about Watchkeeper’s future commitments have been made. While there are no current plans to permanently deploy a full Drone Regiment to Estonia, the recently updated defence roadmap with Estonia demonstrates the UK’s continuing commitment to Estonia and securing NATO’s eastern flank.
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