Harrier Jump-jet (Hansard, 15 March 1999)

HC Deb 15 March 1999 vol 327 c507W 507W

§ Mr. Jim Cunningham
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what type of aircraft the Government expects to replace the Harrier jump-jet at the end of its service life. [76088]

§ Mr. Spellar
As announced in the Strategic Defence Review, a Future Carrier-Borne Aircraft (FCBA) will replace the Royal Navy Sea Harrier and Royal Air Force Harrier from around 2012. A strong contender for FCBA is a variant of the US Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) and the UK is currently participating in the Concept Demonstration Phase. We are also assessing a number of other options including a navalised Eurofighter, Rafale-M, F/A 18E/F and an Advanced Harrier variant.