According to the city Mayor of Bacau (Romania), Romanian aircraft construction and repair company Aerostar and UK military joint-venture U-TacS have signed a memorandum for cooperation in the assembly of military drones in Bacau.

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Watchkeeper X drone (Picture source: Lucian Daniel Stanciu Viziteu Facebook page)

“If the partnership is successful, Aerostar will assemble military drones. This will bring jobs and revenues for the people in Bacau, and of course, the satisfaction to endow the Romanian military with drones made in Bacau,” Bacau mayor Lucian Daniel Stanciu Viziteu said in a social media post on July 20.

The Watchkeeper reconnaissance drone is a product of joint efforts between Israel and the United Kingdom, with Elbit Systems and Thales involved in its development. Thus was born the company U-TacS, whose base and production are located in the city of Leicester. However, the source of the Watchkeeper X drone was Thales, when in 2015 he created it and offered it to partners.

Watchkeeper X is an unmanned aircraft system designed for a wide range of military and homeland security mission requirements. The system delivers intelligence surveillance and reconnaissance capability, operating in extreme and challenging environments to collect, exploit and distribute vital information efficiently.

Aerostar is specialised in repairing and upgrading military aircraft, producing light aircraft, hydraulic equipment for aviation and piston engines as well as electronics and other specialized equipment. The company exports its products to countries in Europe, Asia, North America and the Middle East. No official information yet on whether Aerostar  will produce the drone in its full set of equipment, or will try to produce only this architecture needed for the local market.