§ Mr. Paul MarsdenTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the advantages of(a) the Meteor missiles made by Matra BAe Dynamics and (b) its US rival; and if he will make a statement. [100597]
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§ Mr. KilfoyleThis is a matter for the Chief Executive of the Defence Procurement Agency. I have asked the Chief Executive to write to my hon. Friend.
Letter from Sir Robert Walmsley to Mr. Paul Marsden, dated 15 December 1999:
I am replying to your question to the Secretary for Defence about the assessments that have been made of the Meteor and US missile options bid into the Beyond Visual Range Air-to-Air Missile (BVRAAM) competition. This matter falls within my area of responsibility as Chief of Defence Procurement and Chief Executive of the Defence Procurement Agency.We are currently evaluating the Best and Final Offers we have received in response to the above competition to satisfy the RAF's requirement for a BVRAAM for Eurofighter. The evaluation will take into account a wide range of factors including missile performance, cost, industrial factors and overall value for money and will set out the respective advantages of each option. It remains our intention to announce the outcome of the competition in the new year.