§ Mr. Robert B. Jonesasked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the further development of the Rapier air defence system.
§ Mr. Archie Hamilton[pursuant to his reply, 13 November 1986, c. 6]: I am pleased to be able to say that we have recently placed an order with Shorts of Belfast for the supply of a new high velocity missile system, Starstreak, which will provide a further enhancement of our air defence capability into the 21st century. Rapier will provide the wide area defence umbrella under which combat units can manoeuvre. The new system will provide complementary close air defence protection, in conjunction with the Javelin system, guaranteeing the protection of important units and installations.
The Starstreak weapon system represents an evolutionary advance on the successful Blowpipe and Javelin shoulder-launched weapons systems deployed by the British armed forces and will provide an important enhancement to our capability in the face of increasingly hostile air threats foreseen through the 1990s and beyond.
This contract, worth approximately £225 million, represents the largest awarded to the company by the United Kingdom Ministry of Defence and will provide major employment opportunities to Shorts and its subcontractors throughout the United Kingdom, mainly in regions outside the south-east of England, including a number of development areas. It will provide continuing employment at Shorts well into the 1990s together with work for up to 5,000 throughout the United Kingdom with a further 5,000 jobs being maintained or created indirectly.
This contract will enable the United Kingdom to remain at the very forefront of close air defence technology and confirms Shorts as one of the foremost missile manufacturers in the world.