MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates Ltd. (TSX: MDA) has reported that a confidential customer has awarded a contract to MDA for a long endurance unmanned aerial (UAV) surveillance solution to support its deployed forces. The surveillance solution will be operational in early 2010 for a period of one year, with options for an additional two years. Building on the previously announced successful Noctua UAV service for the Canadian Forces, under this new contract, MDA will provide a similar complete turnkey operational UAV service. The new service will include full operations, maintenance and logistics to provide real-time, multi-sensor intelligence information directly in the theatre of operation. David Hargreaves, a vice president within the Information Systems Group, said: "This contract expands MDA's ability to provide advanced turnkey airborne surveillance services very quickly to customers with urgent deployed and domestic operational requirements."