BAE Systems Phoenix

Background

The Phoenix was developed from Project Phoenix, a late 1970s study into surveillance and target acquisition needs after the cancellation of the Westland MRUASTAS. Its first flight was in 1986, with an expected service entry in 1989, but the project suffered numerous delays and eventually entered service in 1999. The UAV was made of Kevlar and other plastics, and its sensor payload, built around an infrared imager, was carried in a pod slung well under the fuselage to avoid obstruction by the front-mounted propeller.

The Phoenix was launched from a zero-length rail mounted on a truck, a system originally developed for the US Army Aquilla UAV that failed to enter service. Recovery was by parachute, with the aircraft landing on its back and a crushable hump absorbing the impact. The zero-length take-off and landing was an essential requirement for operating in NATO's Central Region and deployment in a forward divisional area. Up to two UAVs could be controlled from the same ground station, and a second UAV could be launched within eight minutes of the first.

The system saw limited operational use in Kosovo as part of the British contribution to Kosovo Force (KFOR) and in Iraq during Operation Telic. Attrition was high in Iraq, though British Army officials stated that some losses were due to deliberate sacrifices, keeping the UAV on station beyond recovery to avoid losing targets. The final operational sortie was in May 2006, and the system was formally retired on 20 March 2008.