§ Sir David MitchellTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he expects to take steps to procure a medium range air-to-air missile for Eurofighter 2000. [4482]
§ Mr. ArbuthnotI am pleased to announce that we are today inviting competitive tenders for a medium range air-to-air missile for Eurofighter 2000. This weapon—the future medium-range air-to-air missile, FMRAAM—will give EF2000 a formidable beyond-visual-range capability, complementing the advanced short range air-to-air missile, ASRAAM, already on contract. We expect other European countries will join us in the tender assessment.