§ Mr. Trotterasked the Secretary of State for Defence how many Canberra aircraft remain in service with the RAF; what is their average age; and on how many occasions in the last year one had to abandon a flight due to engine or other trouble.
§ Mr. WellbelovedApproximately 110 Canberras of various Marks remain in RAF service in a variety of roles, with an average age of 23 years; this figure includes reserve aircraft. I assume that the hon. Gentleman is interested predominantly in incidents involving engine trouble. In 1977, 58 sorties were curtailed because of engine trouble.