§ Mrs. EwingTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what action he has taken to develop battlefield identification friend or foe technology for use in the armed forces; and when it is estimated that such technology will be deployed. [4972]
§ Mr. ArbuthnotWork to develop a battlefield identification friend or foe system to help reduce fratricide is progressing well. However, this is an extremely complex technical requirement and it is vital that any deployed system be interoperable with our allies. In order to provide a system as soon as possible, a staged approach is being adopted which will allow an interim capability to be fielded in advance of the full solution. It is estimated that an interim capability will be available in around six months.