Project HORUS is supporting an urgent operational requirement, and the Ministry of Defence will not specify the platforms involved, the length of the contract or the timing of a procurement decision in order to protect operational advantage, according to an answer given in Parliament.
Ben Obese-Jecty, the Conservative member for Huntingdon, tabled three questions on the project, asking what platforms are being used by the Royal Navy under Project HORUS, what the length is of the contract for the capability provided, and by when a procurement decision will be made to replace the capability currently under contract.
Luke Pollard, the Minister of State for Defence, gave the same answer to all three: “Project HORUS is supporting an urgent operational requirement and so the MoD would not wish to specify specific platforms or procurement decisions at this stage, so as to protect operational advantage.”
An urgent operational requirement is the mechanism Britain’s forces use to buy equipment outside the normal procurement cycle when an operation needs a capability quickly, and it carries its own funding route and an abbreviated approvals process. Equipment bought that way is usually in service within months, and the mechanism was used heavily during Iraq and Afghanistan for protected vehicles, counter-explosive equipment and surveillance systems.
I’m not surprised it’s urgent. The war which sparked the race for drones started 4 years ago.
They do not even know what they want and there is no software to control complex drone warships, ROE management etc.
Nothing has been even developed to be tested at that level.
The word bullshit comes to mind..Every other programme ever has been news from the day of the the plan being announced. More covering up is the truth.