§ Mr. Menzies CampbellTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what assessment his Department has made of the performance of the Sea Skua missile during the Gulf war; and what conclusions have been reached;
(2) what assessment his Department has made of the performance of the Sea Dart missile during the Gulf war; and what conclusions have been reached.
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§ Mr. AitkenMy Department has conducted a thorough examination of all aspects of the Gulf operation, including battalion an assessment of equipment performance.
The Sea Skua missile, carried by the Navy's Lynx helicopters, proved very effective, achieving a high success rate which included responsibility for around a quarter of Iraqi naval losses.
Our assessment of the lessons of the Falklands conflict resulted in improvements to the Sea Dart system. Sea Dart's capability was demonstrated during the Gulf conflict by its successful engagement and destruction of an Iraqi Silkworm missile in flight.