§ Mr. JenkinTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence which unmanned aerial vehicles are being assessed by his Department; and with what countries these systems are in service.[71640]
§ Dr. Moonie[holding answer 19 July 2002]: The Watchkeeper programme is the only programme in which unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are being assessed. Under this programme, an initial assessment is being made of unmanned aerial vehicles developed from the following: Hermes 450, Predator, Eagle, Firescout, Shadow 200, Hermes 180, Ranger and Spectre 3. A number of these vehicles will shortly be selected for a more extensive assessment. We are aware that the Predator vehicle is used by US forces, the Hermes 450 is in service in Israel, and Ranger is in service in Switzerland.
§ Mr. WrayTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what research has been done into unmanned and uninhabited aerial vehicles; how many of these vehicles the armed forces possess; and what plans there are to extend their use. [72918]
§ Dr. MoonieResearch into UAVs has been conducted in a range of areas. For example, the Observer technical demonstrator, completed in 2001, examined a small UAV system assessing aerial vehicles, sensors and operator interfaces. The lessons identified fed directly into the Watchkeeper programme. Other research has looked at, and continues to examine, areas such as the potential for man portable UAVs and the potential contribution of UAVs in providing mobile communication platforms to extend the battlespace information infrastructure.
Phoenix is the only UAV system currently in service with the Armed Forces, for which 198 aerial vehicles were purchased.
In addition to the Watchkeeper programme (which will provide a surveillance and target acquisition capability principally in support of land commanders), UAVs are also being considered as potential solutions to elements of the Maritime Airborne Surveillance and Control programme and as a possible contribution to the Future Offensive Air System.
§ Mr. KeetchTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans his Department has to conduct an impact assessment study of the influence of the Watchkeeper contract on future procurement decisions; and if he will make a statement.[70765]
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§ Dr. MoonieNone.
§ Mr. WrayTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the Watchkeeper programme; what funding has been allocated to it; and what its capability is intended to be. [72916]
§ Dr. MoonieWatchkeeper is being acquired to increase the capability of the Armed Forces to undertake Intelligence, Surveillance, Target Acquisition and Reconnaissance tasks. Watchkeeper will principally support land commanders from Battlegroup to Divisional level and will meet a significant proportion of their intelligence and information requirements. The Watchkeeper system will comprise UAVs, sensor packages and associated facilities on the ground to collate, exploit and disseminate the information gathered. The numbers and types of UAVs and the architecture of the overall system are currently being examined in the assessment phase where operational and technical risks are being identified and minimised. We would expect to spend around £860 million acquiring the Watchkeeper system.