§ Mr. Matthew TaylorTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is the estimated cost of withdrawing and dismantling the WE177 weapon. [46824]
§ Mr. SpellarThe estimated cost of dismantling WE177 is some £23m; withdrawal costs are not separately identifiable.
§ Mr. Matthew TaylorTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many WE177 weapons were manufactured by his Department before the weapon was withdrawn from service; and in what years these weapons were manufactured. [46826]
11W
§ Mr. SpellarWE177 was manufactured between 1966 and 1977. Regular servicing was carried out as necessary to ensure continued safety and reliability whilst in service. I am withholding information as to the number of weapons manufactured under Exemption 1 of the Code of Practice on Government Information relating to Defence, Security and International Relations.
§ Mr. Matthew TaylorTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence which contractors and Ministry of Defence organisations designed each variant of the WE177 weapon; and when this work was carried out. [46825]
§ Mr. SpellarDesign work for WE177 was started over 30 years ago with the design for the first variant completed in 1963, the second in 1965, and the last in 1972.
The co-ordinating design authority for all WE177 variants was Hunting Engineering, with the Atomic Weapons Research Establishment as design authority for the warhead element. The Royal Ordnance Factories at Burghfield, Cardiff and Chorley, RAF Farnborough, and RARDE Fort Halstead assisted in the work, as did a number of other contractors. Given the age of the programme, it has not been possible to compile a full and accurate list.
§ Mr. Matthew TaylorTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his answer of 12 November 1997,Official Report, column 581, if the weights, sizes and yields of each type of the WE177 weapon are now declassified information. [47804]
§ Mr. SpellarInformation on the size and weight of all three variants of the WE177 bomb is unclassified and is listed. Technical details relating to the performance of the weapons, including yield, which would reveal information about our design capabilities, or aspects of current operational systems, or be of assistance to proliferators, continues to be covered by exemption 1 of the code of practice on access to Government information relating to defence security and international relations.
Variant Weight Size Type A 6001b 112 inches long Type B 9501b 133 inches long Type C 9501b 133 inches long All variants had a diameter of 16.5 inches and a fin span of 24.5 inches.