HC Deb 06 April 1976 vol 909 cc212-3
12. Mr. Small

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what steps are being taken to improve the detection from the air of submarines in view of the growth in numbers of such vessels.

Mr. John

The Nimrod long range maritime patrol aircraft is to be given a major refit involving a new surveillance radar, acoustic processor and sonobuoys. When this is complete, the modified Nimrod, to be known as the Mark 2, will have a greatly enhanced capability to detect, classify and attack submarines and a much improved surface surveillance capability, which will maintain its effectiveness against the most modern submarines well into the 1990s.

Mr. Small

I am grateful for my hon. Friend's answer. Are intelligence-gathering facilities equal to both Services? Secondly, will my hon. Friend guarantee that there will be no clandestine activities by either Service in the gathering of intelligence?

Mr. John

I can assure my hon. Friend that the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force co-operate very closely in activities over the sea, and that the information is available to them.

Rear-Admiral Morgan-Giles

As the Minister has rightly realised, this is a subject of the utmost importance. Why does he decline to deploy these aircraft in the Mediterranean, as he told me in the defence debate last week?

Mr. John

I think that the hon. and gallant Gentleman misrepresents the intervention in the Mediterranean. Nimrods will be available from Malta for some time, and there will always be the option for us to deploy them in the area as and when necessary.