U.K. MOD announces $159 million surveillance aircraft support contract

LONDON, Oct. 27 (UPI) -- The U.K. Ministry of Defense on Thursday announced a $159 million deal with Raytheon UK for support on the Sentinel long-range surveillance aircraft.

The deal will provide in-service support and maintenance to meet the Royal Air Force's operational needs, the ministry said in a statement.

"With the ability to gather intelligence on enemy movements and track specific targets, the Sentinel remains a key element in the U.K.'s operations against Daesh in Syria and Iraq," the ministry said.

The Sentinel contract is part of a larger $217 billion equipment plan that will be supported by a defense budget increasing annually through the end of the decade, a move that will meet the NATO commitment to spend 2 percent of GDP on defense.

Under the new deal, support will be provided for the next five years at several locations.

The Sentinel utilizes air-to-ground search capabilities and scans areas from a safe distance, delivering surveillance information to the forces.