§ Lord Vivianasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether acceptance trials of the Mark 2 Hostile Artillery Location system (HALO) have been completed; and [HL2674]
When the installation of the Mark 2 Hostile Artillery Location system (HALO) will begin; and when the process of installation is expected to be completed; and [HL2675]
What is the anticipated in-service life of the Mark 2 Hostile Artillery Location system (HALO); and how will the cost of this equipment be calculated taking into account annual depreciation and carrying cost. [HL2676]
§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Ministry of Defence (Lord Bach):The Ministry of Defence's variant of the Mark 2 HALO system, the Advanced Sound Ranging Programme (ASP), has completed all acceptance trials. Integration is complete and the ASP system was deployed in March 2003. It is expected to be in-service until 2017.
The through-life cost of ownership of the system is calculated from acquisition, in service support, training and manpower costs. Normal accounting conventions are followed to make provision for depreciation and interest on capital.