Phoenix is an all weather, day or night, real time surveillance system which consists of a variety of elements. The twin boom UAV (unmanned air vehicle) provides surveillance through its surveillance pod, the imagery from which is data linked via a ground data terminal (GDT) to a ground control station (GCS).

This controls the overall Phoenix mission and is used to distribute the UAV provided intelligence direct to artillery forces, to command level, or to a Phoenix troop command post (TCP).

The principle method of communication from the GCS to artillery on the ground is via the battlefield artillery engagement system (BATES).

Powered by a 19kW (25hp) Target Technology 342 two stroke flat twin engine, the Phoenix air vehicle (with a centrally mounted fuel tank) is almost entirely manufactured from composites such as Kevlar, glass fibre, carbon reinforced plastics and Nomex honeycomb. The principal subcontractor was Flight Refuelling of Christchurch in Dorset.

The modular design UAV can be launched within one hour of reaching a launch site and a second UAV can be dispatched within eight minutes from the same launcher. The wing span is 5.5 m and the maximum launch weight 175 kgs. The manufacture, GEC states that "Flight endurance is in excess of four hours, radius of action 50 kms and the maximum altitude 2,700 m (9,000 feet).

A flight section consists of a launch and recovery detachment and a ground control detachment.
 

The launch and recovery detachment consists of three vehicles; the launch support vehicle, with several UAVs and mission pods in separate battlefield containers, plus operational replacement spares and fuel; the launch vehicle, which features a pallet mounted lifting crane, the hydraulic catapult and launch ramp, a pre launch detonator device, built in test equipment, and the Land Rover recovery vehicle which is fitted with cradles for the air vehicle and mission pod.


The ground control detachment consists of two vehicles, the ground control station and the Land Rover towed ground data terminal.

The British Army has one regiment (32 Regiment) equipped with Phoenix. Each of the three Phoenix batteries in 32 Regiment are believed to be equipped with 27 x UAV, with associated ground support equipment and a battery has enough resources to launch 72 flights. The total cost of the programme was £227 million and each Phoenix aircraft is believed to cost approximately £300,000. The overall initial purchase was 198 Phoenix

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