§ Mr. KeetchTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the cost has been to date of the(a) Tracer and (b) Watchkeeper programmes.[70667]
§ Dr. Lewis Moonie[holding answer 17 July 20021]: The cost of the Tracer programme to the United Kingdom to the end of June was some –120 million. By the time the assessment phase contract is concluded at the end of July 2002 we expect to have spent a further £11 million. Although in October 2001 the Ministry of Defence agreed with the United States DoD not to proceed beyond the assessment phase with this collaborative programme, we expect to apply directly the technical maturity and military utility of a number of key armoured vehicle technologies to the Future Rapid Effect System programme.
Expenditure to date on the Watchkeeper programme is some £26 million.