Finland purchased the Ranger reconnaissance drone system jointly developed by Israel Aircraft Industries, Oerlikon Contraves and RUAG. The federal government had contributed 28 million Swiss francs to development, with repayment envisaged upon sales to further states. After Finland’s purchase, the Defence Procurement Agency waived repayment, citing Finnish reciprocal benefits in other armaments areas. In 2003, this prompted criticism of the cooperation’s financing and the state’s role in RUAG. In 2003, RUAG and Israel Aircraft Industries bid with the Ranger system for the British Watchkeeper reconnaissance drone programme. The bid was publicly debated in connection with Swiss–Israeli arms cooperation. In July 2004, the British government selected the competing bid led by Thales. The Ranger project therefore did not result in the envisaged British procurement. According to the Facts investigation of 20 February 2003, Israel Aircraft Industries had maintained an office at RUAG in Emmen since around 2000. In the three weeks before Christmas 2002, 13 Israeli engineers worked in Hall 3. Officially, this was warranty work on the Ranger system. Facts describes Ranger as a reconnaissance drone around 4.5 metres long and weighing 270 kilograms, capable of up to 220 km/h and an altitude of 4’500 metres, with TV and infrared sensors and a mobile ground station for reconnaissance, target location and artillery fire control. Zurich police were interested in using it to monitor demonstrations on 1 May. The cooperation also included Swiss procurement from Israel: according to Facts, this amounted to around 1.3 billion Swiss francs in the 1990s. In 2002, parliamentary committees called for a procurement freeze; the Federal Council retained the INTAFF artillery command system and 120/155 mm cargo ammunition. A frequency change because of UMTS cost 31 million Swiss francs for the Ranger system. Anonymous engineers reported a SIGINT upgrade and a SAR study. An IAI contact denied knowledge of this; in July 2002, the Federal Council had stated that no joint research was taking place, and no corresponding funds had been budgeted. Licences and source-code escrow were envisaged for Israeli software as a technical safeguard. IAI advertised the system using the Swiss cross and mentioned offers for four unnamed countries. The preceding Israeli Scout technology was used in Lebanon in 1982. The report also mentions the shelling of Qana on 18 April 1996, which killed 102 people. Use of Ranger components developed in Switzerland in that shelling has not been established. On 28 September 1999, Finland ordered a Ranger system for around US$20 million, with an option for two further systems. The aircraft was developed and manufactured by the Swiss Aircraft and Systems Company. IAI/MALAT was part of the Swiss–Israeli consortium led by Oerlikon Contraves. A fleet of twelve Ranger drones in the Finnish army is documented for 2019.