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<p>The Hermes 450 Unmanned Air System was procured by the Ministry of Defence from
Thales UK as a service provision in response to an Urgent Operational Requirement.
The Department has therefore never owned the equipment and does not have access to
the unit cost. <br><br>Watchkeeper is a system delivering an Intelligence, Surveillance
and Reconnaissance capability and comprising a number of elements including air vehicles,
ground control stations, data terminals, ground equipment and sensors, as well as
infrastructure and training facilities. Delivery of the complete Watchkeeper system
is enabled by the Demonstration, Manufacture and In-Service Support contract with
the prime contractor, Thales UK. As a contract for delivering the entire system, it
does not lend itself to the individual identification of the unit cost of a Watchkeeper
aircraft.</p>
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