§ Mr. Menzies CampbellTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what proposals he has to deploy unmanned aerial vehicles in tandem with an airborne stand off radar system. [72755]
§ Mr. Spellar[holding answer 25 February 1999]The planned Airborne Stand-Off Radar, ASTOR, programme, together with the in-service Phoenix unmanned aerial506W vehicle and future UAV programmes, such as SENDER and SPECTATOR, will form an important part of our integrated Intelligence, Surveillance, Target Acquisition and Reconnaissance, ISTAR, capability.
Long range surveillance and reconnaissance assets, such as ASTOR and longer range radar and UAVs, will help to cue and subsequently direct medium and short range reconnaissance and target acquisition assets, such as Phoenix, to identify, prioritise and engage enemy targets from long range before they can inflict damage on our and friendly forces. This integrated approach ensures our ground attack air assets and long range artillery assets are used to maximum effectiveness.