§ Mr. Hancock To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if his Department is seeking to source the 524W procurement of an Infantry Anti-structure Weapon system in the UK; what the estimated total cost of the programme will be; and if he will make a statement. [148556]
§ Dr. MoonieWe have not made a decision to progress with the purchase of any infantry anti-structure weapon. At present, there is no funding allocated to this capability.
On 23 August 2000 we issued a contracts bulletin asking industry to consider how best to provide an anti-structure weapon for the infantry in the urban environment. The contracts bulletin informs potential suppliers world-wide and not just in the UK. We have yet to assess any potential solutions, or to estimate how much these may cost.