§ 28. Major Anstruther-Grayasked the Under-Secretary of State for Air whether, in view of the successful experimental working of the helicopter in Kenya, he will increase the number available so that they may become a reliable component of the defence forces in that theatre.
Mr. WardAs I said last week, we should be willing to consider any request for more helicopters that comes to us from the security forces. The height of the ground in Kenya, however, limits the value of helicopters for anything other than casualty evacuation, and I am glad to say that one seems quite enough for this purpose at the moment.
Major Austruther-GrayIs it not a fact that the reason the helicopter has been so seldom asked for is that there has been only one and it has not always been available? If more were available, they would be more often called for.
Mr. WardNo, Sir. There is only one helicopter in Kenya at the moment and, so far, the demands on it have been very few indeed, certainly not enough to warrant a second one for casualty evacuation.
§ Mr. DoddsIs it not a fact that that one helicopter has been in Kenya only as a result of much agitation for the usage of helicopters in Kenya? Will the Air Ministry not recapture some of the enthusiasm of the Navy for helicopters?
Mr. WardAs I explained to the hon. Member some time ago, we had serious doubts whether a helicopter would work at those heights. In fact, the Air Force made the machine work by lightening it as much as possible, for example, by taking off the winch. Even so, the helicopter cannot hover above a height of 5,000 ft., and it has to take off and land with some forward speed.