HL Deb 13 December 2001 vol 629 c232WA
Lord Hardy of Wath

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether the United Kingdom is likely to be involved in the research into, and development of, unmanned aircraft being undertaken by Boeing. [HL1904]

Lord Bach

The United Kingdom has a requirement to replace, towards the end of the next decade, the strike capability currently provided by the Tornado GR4 strike aircraft. This programme is known as the Future Offensive Air System (FOAS). While no decisions have yet been taken, we are currently looking at a potential mix of platforms to deliver precision strike capability, including long range cruise missiles, unmanned and manned aircraft.

The FOAS programme is currently evaluating ways in which unmanned aircraft will contribute to the FOAS capability, and Ministry of Defence (MoD) officials have had discussions with a number of companies, including Boeing, and with other governments and agencies. However, the FOAS programme remains at an early stage and no decisions have been made about MoD involvement in developing specific unmanned aircraft.