§ 61. Sir A. V. Harveyasked the Minister of Defence what is the present position of the Blue Steel project.
§ Mr. WatkinsonMark II V-bombers are being fitted to carry the Blue Steel Mark I bomb. The bomb itself is not yet in service, but its development is going well and launching trials are now taking place. I am not prepared to forecast the exact date when it will be deployed, but it will give us several years of useful service before Skybolt is available.
43WThe Mark II part of the Blue Steel project was cancelled at a very early stage last year because it would not have been available until after the mid-sixties, when it might well have been outmoded. The possibility of improving the performance of the Mark I is at present being investigated.