§ Mr. Croninasked the Minister of Aviation if he will publish in the Official Report a list of major aircraft and missile projects which have been
MAJOR AIRCRAFT AND MISSILE PROJECTS CANCELLED BEFORE GOING INTO SERVICE SINCE 1951 project Cancellation Date Estimated Expenditure £M Transport Aircraft Brabazon transport aircraft … … … February, 1952 6.45 Princess flying boat … … … May, 1954 9.1 Vickers military transport aircraft … … … December, 1955 4.0 Orion turbo-prop, aero engine … … … January, 1958 4.75 Rotodyne helicopter … … … February, 1962 11.0 Operational Aircraft Developed Sturgeon anti-submarine aircraft … … … March, 1951 0.5 D.H. fighter aircraft … … … May, 1952 2.5 Developed Hawker Hunter … … … July, 1953 0.14 Swift fighter aircraft … … … February, 1955 22.0 Swift photo-reconnaissance and fighter aircraft … … June, 1955 0.3 Swift crescent-wing research fighter … … … December, 1955 1.6 Avro rocket interceptor aircraft … … … September, 1955 1.0 Thin wing Javelin all-weather fighter aircraft … … June, 1956 2.3 Fairey supersonic fighter aircraft … … … March, 1957 0.15 Supersonic bomber (including engine) … … … March, 1957 2.05 Naval interceptor … … … December, 1957 3.2 Scorpion rocket engine … … … February, 1959 1.25 Spectre rocket engine … … … October, 1960 5.75 Missiles Guided bomb with television eye … … … June, 1954 3.1 Vickers flying bomb … … … September, 1954 0.7 Air-to-ship guided bomb … … … March, 1956 0.9 Air-to-air missile with radar guidance … … … June, 1956 7.5 Long-range surface-to-air guided weapon … … May, 1957 1.5 Heavy anti-tank missile … … … September, 1959 2.4 Blue Steel Mark II … … … December, 1959 0.825 Bloodhound Mark III … … … March, 1960 0.6 Blue Streak ballistic missile … … … April, 1960 84.0 Low-level surface-to-air guided weapon … … … December, 1961 0.8 Medium range surface-to-surface missile … … … August, 1962 32.1 Skybolt air-to-surface ballistic missile … … … December, 1962 27.0 The expenditure figures are given with some reservation; they have been extracted from records extending over a number of years and may not all be on an identical basis. They should be regarded as approximate. It would be erroneous to conclude that the total of the amounts quoted represents a loss to public funds. Some later projects have been based directly on projects cancelled earlier; and even when this is not so, much of the expenditure represents valuable knowledge and experience gained for later application. In the case of Blue Streak, development continues for a different rô1e as part of the European satellite launcher programme.
8Wcancelled before going into service by him or his predecessors since 1951, with the dates of cancellation and the total amount of public money spent on each project.