The UK Ministry of Defence has selected Northrop Grumman and Thales as the candidate prime contractors for the Watchkeeper unmanned air vehicle (UAV)programme. The other two bidders were BAE Systems and Lockheed Martin; BAE Systems will now join Northrop Grumman's team, under terms still undisclosed. The contract, worth £500 million ($800 million), will be signed in mid-2004, the MoD says. Watchkeeper is due for deployment in early 2006, and will include two types of UAV: Northrop Grumman is offering its RQ-8A Fire Scout and the Swiss Aircraft and Systems Enterprise Ranger, while Thales is offering the Silver Arrow Hermes 150 and 450. Initially, Watchkeeper is intended to serve only as an intelligence, surveillance and targeting system, but it may subsequently be armed (Flight International, 12-19 November 2002).
Source: Flight International
