§ 9. Commander Courtneyasked the Civil Lord of the Admiralty whether Her Majesty's ships are fitted with antisubmarine weapons of performance equivalent to the United States Navy's Asroc; and whether it is intended to adopt this weapon for British use.
§ Mr. C. Ian Orr-EwingNo, Sir. It is one of the weapons we are considering but no decision has yet been taken.
§ Commander CourtneyCan my hon. Friend confirm an impression being gained by some of us, which is that the very much greater efficiency of ASDIC, as developed over the last few years, has not been matched by the range and accuracy of anti-submarine weapons such as Limbo, which are available to the Royal Navy?
§ Mr. Orr-EwingIt is true that with the greatly increased range and efficiency of ASDIC it is necessary to have more efficient long-range antisubmarine weapons. We are attending to this, and the first generation of the Wasp helicopter will perform that function. We are considering what ASROC type of weapons might follow.
§ Commander CourtneyMy hon. Friend has not answered my question. Can he assure the House that this matter will be dealt with in respect of surface vessels and not merely helicopters?
§ Mr. Orr-EwingI shall certainly consider that point.
§ Mr. G. R. HowardWould not my hon. Friend say that there is very close co-operation in the development of these types of weapon between our Government, Commonwealth Governments and the United States?
§ Mr. Orr-EwingIt is close but, quite frankly, I wish that it was even closer.