House of Commons Hansard Written Answers
Unmanned Air Vehicles
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, for which periods officers in the armed forces have been trained on the operation and use of drone technology in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories in the last two years.
Answered by: Mr Mark Francois on: 19 November 2014
In the last two years training on the unarmed HERMES 450 Unmanned Aircraft System has been conducted by Army personnel in Israel on a regular basis. The last training took place in July 2014. This training was a mixture of individual and pre-deployment training for HERMES operators, and technical training for support personnel. Over this period, more than 270 personnel received training by the civilian contractor in Israel. No training has been conducted within the Occupied Palestinian territories.
Asked by Mr Tom Watson (West Bromwich East) on: 10 November 2014
Ministry of Defence
Unmanned Air Vehicles
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what his Department’s policy is on basing (a) UK Reapers and (b) other remotely piloted aircraft on the Queen Elizabeth-class carriers.
Answered by: Mr Philip Dunne 18 November 2014
The Royal Navy has made no decision regarding the future deployment of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) from the Queen Elizabeth Class carriers at this stage. The Royal Navy is, however, developing a Maritime UAS Strategy paper describing the requirement to 2050, and is working with industry on this issue.
Asked by Vernon Coaker (Gedling) on: 07 November 2014
Joint Strike Fighter Aircraft
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many F-35 Lightning II aircraft are intended to operate on each of the Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carriers.
Answered by: Mr Philip Dunne on: 18 November 2014
The Queen Elizabeth Class (QEC) aircraft carriers will have the capacity to operate up to 36 Lightning II aircraft and four helicopters fitted with AEW radar. The QEC aircraft carriers are extremely versatile platforms and the precise mix of aircraft deployed will depend on the type of mission being undertaken. Operations in the littoral, for example, may require embarkation of more helicopters and fewer fast jets.