§ Mr. WilsonTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is the reason for the decline of four F111 aircraft in the figures for North Atlantic Treaty Organisation LRINF aircraft in the chart on page 51 of the Statement on the Defence Estimates 1989, compared to the equivalent table in the Statement on the Defence Estimates 1988.
§ Mr. Archie HamiltonThe figures presented in successive editions of the "Statement on the Defence Estimates" provide an overall picture of the number of USAF F111 aircraft that are operationally deployed. The actual number available at any time changes due to a number of factors including attrition and maintenance work. The figure given in the "Statement on the Defence Estimates 1989" reflects a reduction in the numbers of aircraft generally available.