§ Mr. HancockTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many units of the active noise reduction system for the Sea King MK2 his Department is seeking to acquire and at what cost; what estimate he has made of the additional cost of such an upgrade to the MK7; and if he will make a statement. [113900]
§ Dr. MoonieOne hundred Analogue Active Noise Reduction (ANR) systems for the Sea King MK2 were delivered in 1999: the total cost of the programme was some £660,000 VAT inclusive. A further 30 are to be procured to support the Sea King Airborne Early Warning (AEW) MK7 flight trials programme at a unit production cost of £599. Work to develop an improved Digital ANR for the Sea King MK7 is still at an early stage but the cost of introducing such a system is estimated to be in the region of £1 million.