Military target drone found washed up on North Uist

The drone on the beach at Baleshare

A military target drone has been found washed up on an island beach.

The coastguard in Benbecula said it was discovered at Baleshare on North Uist earlier on Thursday.

The coastguard said it was a Mirach 100/5. This type of drone is used by armed forces worldwide to train on weapons systems.

It was cordoned off before later being removed. The find comes just days after the finish of Nato's Exercise Joint Warrior.

Staged in April and October in and around Scotland, the UK-led training involves North American and European armies, navies and air forces.

The latest exercise also involved 30 warships, 60 aircraft and about 6,300 personnel from 12 nations.

This April's exercise was the largest in the event's history.

Military hardware does occasionally wash up on shorelines up and down the Western Isles. Some of the items are linked to activity at a rocket range in South Uist.