§ Mr. Colvinasked the Secretary of State for Defence what information he has as to whether a replacement airframe would be required for the export of the Nimrod early warning system.
§ Mr. Archie HamiltonThis is really a question for the company but GEC Avionics Ltd. does see an export market for the Nimrod mission system avionics in alternative airframes. Together with the Lockheed Georgia Company it has announced plans to develop and market jointly an AEW version of the Lockheed C-130 aircraft using a variant of the Nimrod AEW MSA.
§ Mr. Colvinasked the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate he has made of the cost of developing a Nimrod system in an alternative airframe.
§ Mr. Archie HamiltonNone.
§ Mr. Colvinasked the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the scope for enhancement with (a) the Nimrod system and (b) the E3A airborne warning and control system, to meet evolving requirements through the lifetime of the systems.
§ Mr. Archie HamiltonThe potential for enhancement to meet evolving requirements is one of the factors we shall consider when reaching a decision on the outcome of the competition to meet the Royal Air Force's airborne early warning requirement.