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A consortium led by Thales Defence has been awarded preferred
bidder status for the Government's £800m Watchkeeper programme
developing unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).
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| Geoff Hoon with Thales' CEO |
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If the consortium can agree a contract with the MoD, a joint
venture company will be formed in Leicester with the promise of new
jobs. "It would be around about the 120 mark," said a spokesman for
Thales.
Bidding with Thales for the contract is Elbit Systems, a defence
electronics specialist.
They are supported by UK-based firms including Cobham, Cubic,
LogicaCMG, Praxis, Qinetiq, Vega and Marshall SV.
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