§ Mr. HancockTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has to work with other European nations on the development of an unmanned aerial vehicle; and if he will make a statement. [104231]
§ Mr. IngramUnited Kingdom unmanned aerial vehicles are being pursued through two programmes: Watchkeeper, which plans to deliver a tactical UAV in 2006; and the Future Offensive Air System (FOAS) programme within which we are assessing the feasibility of UAVs contributing to our future strike capability from about 2020 onwards. There are no plans to work with other European nations on the development of Watchkeeper, although we do share information regarding the acquisition, operation and support of UAV systems with a number of European countries. The FOAS programme plans to carry out some technology demonstration work within a six-nation collaborative European Technology Acquisition Programme comprising France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom.