§ Mr. FoulkesTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate he has made of the requirement for air weapons ranges as a result of the purchase of Apache helicopters for the Army. [5237]
§ Mr. ArbuthnotThe qualification of the weapons for Apache will be the responsibility of the prime contractor and the necessary trials will be carried out on US ranges. The need for the use of ranges for training purposes is still being addressed. At this time, it is likely that such range training will be mainly for the cannon and the CRV7 rocket system with much of the training for the main anti-armour weapon, the Hellfire missile, being done through simulation. The policy for proof testing of weapon stocks is currently being addressed with other Apache users to minimise the need for live missile firings.