Watchkeeper drones operated by Larkhill based 47 Regiment RA have been deployed to the Channel to help stem the migrant crisis.

Normally operated from Boscombe Down, the drones have been sent to Lydd Airport on the Kent coast and began their first flight at 2am on Tuesday morning.

They will transmit a live feed of the sea surface back to its operators at Lydd.

It is the first time the eye-in-the-sky war technology, which has been used by the Army in Afghanistan, will fly in the UK operationally.

47 Regiment, the only Army unit to operate Watchkeeper, rotates batteries between Boscombe and RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus and has experience of operating over open seas

The unmanned aircraft hosts a range of sensors including Electro-Optic and Infra-red full motion video day and night camera, Synthetic Aperture Radar and a Moving Target Indicator radar.

The Watchkeeper drone will be used to help tackle the dangerous crossings, the Ministry of Defence has confirmed.

An MoD spokesperson said: “The deployment of Watchkeeper provides further defence support to the Home Office in tackling the increasing number of small boats crossing the English Channel.

It is the first time the eye-in-the-sky war technology, which has been used by the Army in Afghanistan, will fly in the UK operationally.