AN unmanned Army spyplane has crashed landed at MOD Boscombe Down.

The Ministry of Defence confirmed that the Watchkeeper drone — one of eight currently being tested from the base — suffered extensive damage last night.

The £1.2billion fleet of drones is under testing and it is expected to come into operation in 2017.

Nobody was injured in the incident and an investigation has been launched.

An Army spokesman said: "I can confirm that on November 2 an Army Watchkeeper unmanned aerial system was involved in an incident on landing at Boscombe down airfield.

"A comprehensive investigation will be completed by the Defence safety Authority [the Military Aviation Authority], therefore, it would be inappropriate to offer any additional comment at this point."

The drone was on a routine training exercise. In operation the planes, which are radio controlled from the ground, can stay in the air continuously for 16 hours offering surveillance and reconnaissance for troops.

The Watchkeeper made history recently as the first unmanned drone to fly alongside a manned plane in civilian airspace.

A Bureau of Investigative Journalism investigation last month found that the Watchkeeper programme was running four years late and £400million over-budget.

Now ten years after the contract was signed with contractor Thales, only 33 of the 54 have been delivered with just eight used in training at Boscombe Down. According to the report most are boxed up in South Wales.

A Freedom of Information request by the Bureau found the Army had only six trained Watchkeeper pilots.