MoD admit technical glitches in drones have caused crashes costing £25million

TECHNICAL glitches in Britain’s spy in the sky drone fleet have caused crashes costing £25million, defence bosses admit.

Software problems have caused five of the craft to crash while they have also struggled in high winds.

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Repeated problems with altitude sensors triggered some of the accidents, which destroyed four of the £6million Watchkeeper drones.

The budget has soared from £800million to £1.08billion owing to technical issues and crashes. The problems have been revealed in newly released service inquiry reports.

In 2016, training for controllers had to be moved to Ascension Island in mid-Atlantic because it was feared windy UK conditions might be too much for the drones.

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The fleet of French-designed 21ft craft was grounded in 2017 after two crashed in Wales.

Air Marshal Dick Garwood, head of the Defence Safety Authority, said the computer system was “not fit for purpose”.

The MoD said: “Actions have already been taken to address issues identified in the reports.”

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