MINISTRY OF DEFENCE & MILITARY VETERANS

NATIONAL ASSEMBLY

QUESTION FOR WRITTEN  REPLY

38. Mr D J Maynier (DA) to ask the Minister of Defence and Military Veterans:

(1) Whether a Kondor-E Synthetic Aperture Radar satellite was launched from Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on or about 19 December 2014 for the (a) Department of Defence and/or (b) any other (i) government department or (ii) state institution;

(2) whether, in respect of the satellite, (a) the radar imaging antennae deployed, (b) communication links were established and (c) telemetry (i) was or (ii) is being received;

(3) what is the identified purpose of the satellite with respect to the (a) Department of Defence and/or (b) any other (i) government department or (ii) state institution;

(4) what is the (a) total cost and (b) breakdown of such costs in relation to the satellite?

REPLY

Defence Intelligence reports directly to Parliament's Joint Standing Committee on Intelligence (JSCI), and I am therefore not in a position to comment on reports that fall within the domain of the Joint Standing Committee on Intelligence.

Issued by Parliament, March 4 2015

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