To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many Watchkeeper unmanned aerial vehicles his Department expects to purchase in the next 12 months; what the cost will be; and what assessment he has made of their likely performance. (106100)

There are no plans to purchase any Watchkeeper vehicles in the next 12 months. The contract for the Watchkeeper system was signed with Thales UK in July 2005 at a value of just over £700 million.