HC Deb 23 February 1988 vol 128 cc136-8
7. Mr. Ted Garrett

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a further statement on the introduction of Short's Tucano into RAF service.

9. Mr. Haynes

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a further statement on the introduction of Short's Tucano into Royal Air Force service.

Mr. Sainsbury

The release-to-service trials programme is continuing at the Aeroplane and Armament Experimental Establishment, Boscombe Down, and should be completed within the next few months.

Mr. Garrett

Is the Minister still convinced that the design and engine power of these aircraft will be suitable and that when they are introduced at squadron level they will not prove expensive to maintain, and possibly, be failures? Is he really satisfied that there are not problems, other than armament problems, with these aircraft?

Mr. Sainsbury

I assure the hon. Gentleman that we still consider that the Tucano will meet the RAF's training needs satisfactorily. Therefore, there are obviously no plans to review our decision to purchase that plane. Nor do we expect it to be unduly expensive to operate.

Mr. Haynes

Can the Minister remember coming to the House and telling us that this aircraft was the bee's knees and that it was the aircraft that we needed to train our RAF personnel? Will he now stand at the Dispatch Box and say that that statement was a failure? You know, Mr. Speaker, some of the Ministers in this Administration are useless. If the Minister was a councillor and had wasted ratepayer's money in the way that he has wasted taxpayers' money, he would be disqualified.

Mr. Sainsbury

My memory does not go back quite as far as the hon. Gentleman's. I do not recall being at the Dispatch Box and using such an eloquent phrase as the "bee's knees". I assure the hon. Gentleman and the House that we have every confidence in the aeroplane. There is no cost penalty for the Ministry of Defence because of any delay, as there is a fixed-price contract and the aircraft are paid for when they are delivered.

Mr. Colvin

Will my hon. Friend confirm that because it is a fixed-price contract—130 aircraft for £125 million—the lateness in the delivery of the initial aircraft will not add one penny to the overall cost, and may even help his cash flow? It will not have any effect on the completion of the delivery.

Mr. Sainsbury

I am glad to confirm what my hon. Friend said. The late delivery does not add one penny to the overall cost. Throughout the delivery period we hope that there will be an acceleration that will enable us to catch up on some of the original delays.

Mr. Sayeed

How is the reciprocal trade agreement on Short's Tucano going?

Mr. Sainsbury

My hon. Friend may know that there is no offset arrangement with Brazil for the Tucano because some 90 per cent. of the value of the airframe is represented by work to be carried out in the United Kingdom, mainly by Short's. We have an offset agreement with the engine manufacturer, Garrett, and that is bringing significant benefits to United Kingdom industry.

Mr. Rogers

Why will the Minister not come clean and lay the facts before the House? The two Tucano prototypes that have been delivered and are undergoing tests have only flown for three quarters of an hour— [Interruption.] That information was given to me in answer to a written question in mid-January. Those prototypes have flown for only three quarters of an hour. At this time the RAF should have at least 24 such aircraft in service. I wonder whether the Minister is now considering hiring some PC9s from the Saudi Air Force, which has had its aircraft delivered, in quantity, already?

Will the Minister also come clean and tell the House that there is a cost to this country as a result of the late delivery of Tucanos? The price of the aircraft may stay the same, but there is a cost of at least £10 million every six months to keep the Jet Provosts flying.

Mr. Sainsbury

If the Jet Provost were not flying we should be flying the Tucano instead—there would be no cost in that. The hon. Gentleman has got those figures wrong, as he has the others. I hope, he will appreciate that the RAF has, correctly, extremely high standards, especially for training aircraft. There have been delays to ensure that those standards are satisfied. So far, the five production aircraft have achieved a total of 180 flying hours.

Mr. Bill Walker

Does my hon. Friend agree that the Tucano, with its new upgraded engine, the strengthened wing spar against bird strikes and improved undercarriage, is a different aeroplane from the Tucano that was first looked at? When the new Tucano comes into service it will be capable of doing exactly what the RAF requires.

Mr. Sainsbury

I am glad to confirm what my hon. Friend says. The RAF has every confidence that the Tucano will meet requirements and specifications.

Rev. Martyn Smyth

Will the Minister confirm that not only has Short's an excellent reputation for a sturdy plane, but that, time and again, the world has turned to Short's to satisfy its needs, as the Queen's prize for exports has testified year after year?

Mr. Sainsbury

The hon. Gentleman will know that Short's has a long and proud history of providing defence equipment, and I hope that it will continue to maintain that record.