§ 61. Mr. William Hamiltonasked the Secretary of State for Defence what is the rôle of the V-bombers in the context of the new policy for Aden; how many aircraft will be involved; with what types of weapons they will be armed; and what is the additional cost involved compared with the present rôle of the bombers.
§ Mr. HealeyThe rôle of the V-bombers would be to provide a powerful deterrent which any potential aggressor would have to take into account. They would be armed with conventional weapons. No significant additional costs would arise from stationing the aircraft at Masirah.
§ Mr. HamiltonCan my right hon. Friend visualise a situation in which we will go it alone with V-bombers? How does he see their rôle, as against guerrilla operations in this area?
§ Mr. HealeyAs my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has made clear, there are many potential threats to the State of South Arabia when it becomes independent next year. One is the threat of direct military attack by forces now stationed in the Yemen. I believe that the presence of aircraft carriers off Aden and the V-bombers at Masirah, some distance away, will act as a very powerful deterrent to this kind of attack.