watchkeeper

While the UK version of the aircraft, called the Watchkeeper 450, is unarmed, the Israeli-made Hermes drone can be armed with Spike missiles and was reportedly used in the attack that killed seven World Central Kitchen aid workers last year.

No replacement for the Watchkeeper drones has yet been announced.

The British Army's controversial Watchkeeper drone, built by Thales, has been tested in the area.

A British artillery regiment deployed its Watchkeeper WK450 to fly over the Channel.

"Unmanned aircraft systems like Watchkeeper are designed to keep our service people out of hostile environments," he said.