A member of 32nd Regiment Royal Artillery launches a Desert Hawk UAV, Operation DAAS ZEER ZAMIN, 2012

Digital photograph by Sergeant Rupert Frere, Royal Logistic Corps, 30 December 2012.

Jackal and Coyote vehicles leaguered in the Dasht-e Margo, the 'Desert of Death', Helmand, Afghanistan.

The term 'leaguer' derives from the Afrikaans word, 'laager'. The Boers in South Africa used it to describe the temporary defensive positions set up using their large ox wagons during trekking. The term was common amongst British armoured units which used a similar tactic to protect themselves during temporary stops.

Operation DAAS ZEER ZAMIN, part of Operation HERRICK 17 (2012-2013), was a long range reconnaissance operation, gathering intelligence on, and targeting insurgent supply chains in Helmand Province.

Desert Hawk is a portable Unmanned Aerial Vehicle surveillance system which provides aerial video reconnaissance and was developed by Lockheed Martin's Skunk Works group. It was originally designed for the United States Air Force. The craft is monitored using a laptop on the ground but flies automatically. The equipment can be used for a variety of tasks, such as force protection for convoys and patrols, route clearance, base security, reconnaissance or target tracking.