§ 53 and 54. Mr. de Freitasasked the Secretary of State for Air (1) what steps he has taken to provide a replacement for the Canberra bomber;
(2) whether any decision has yet been taken on the development for the Royal Air Force of a bomber designed to operate from small improvised airfields.
Mr. WardIt has been decided to develop a new strike/reconnaissance aircraft as a Canberra replacement. This will be capable of operating from small airfields with rudimentary surfaces, and have a very high performance at all levels.