Skybolt

HC Deb 23 January 1963 vol 670 cc56-60W

Mr. Mason

asked the Minister of Defence if warheads fabricated for Sky-bolt can be easily adapted for use on a Polaris type missile.

Mr. Thorneycroft

No such warheads have been fabricated.

Mr. Mason

asked the Minister of Defence whether his Department have depended entirely upon the American Government's Defence Department's assessment of the Skybolt missile's chances of success before deciding to abandon use of the missile; and what reports he received from his own experts working on the Skybolt project, as to whether this missile could be successfully developed and produced.

Mr. Thorneycroft

The decision to abandon the development of the Skybolt missile was a United States decision. The prospect of continuing this development alone or on a fifty-fity basis with the United States who were not prepared to buy any of the missiles was not, in the view of Her Majesty's Government, an attractive one, especially in view of the great difficulty of monitoring so complex a project from thousands of miles away.

Mr. Mason

asked the Minister of Defence what consultations he held with the British aircraft industry on the practicability of building a British Skybolt replacement, on their capacity to produce such a missile, and on the estimated cost; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Thorneycroft

This is a subject on which a great deal of information is available to the Government and my colleague the Minister of Aviation is in close day to day contact with the industry. There is no doubt about the capacity of the aircraft and electronic industries to build highly sophisticated weapons. To design, develop and produce a substitute for Skybolt would however take a long time and cost a lot of money.

Mr. Mason

asked the Minister of Defence if instructions have been sent by Her Majesty's Government for all technologists and servicemen working on the development of the Skybolt missile in the United States of America to return home; and what reports he has received from the British personnel working on Skybolt in America on whether the recent Skybolt test succeeded or not.

Mr. Thorneycroft

Arrangements are in train for the return home of the personnel concerned as soon as practicable.

I have received a technical report about the test referred to which confirms the official statement made by the American authorities.

Mr. Mason

asked the Minister of Defence why he refused the American offer jointly to produce and share costs of the Skybolt missile.

Mr. Thorneycroft

The Americans did not offer to join in the production of Skybolt, though they did offer to pay a share of the remaining development costs.

The main factors affecting our decision not to take up this offer were, first, that the Americans were not buying the missiles themselves; secondly, that although expert opinion was not unanimous about its prospects, responsible American authorities had expressed the opinion that it would be late and would not achieve its designed performance; and thirdly, the great difficulty of monitoring so complex a project from thousands of miles away.

Mr. Mason

asked the Minister of Defence how many Royal Air Force personnel have been working in the United States of America in conjunction with United States Air Force personnel and missile workers of the Douglas Aircraft Company; when the first detachment of Royal Air Force personnel was despatched to work on the development of the Skybolt missile in the United States of America; what periodic despatches he received from the senior officer of the Royal Air Force detachment working on the Skybolt missile in the United States of America on progress of the missile's development; and what has been the total cost to the Exchequer of maintaining Royal Air Force personnel and families in the United States of America to watch the Skybolt missile's development and assess the needs for structural alterations on Royal Air Force V bombers.

Mr. Thorneycroft

Twenty-eight officers and 48 airmen have been working in the U.S.A. on duties connected with the Skybolt project; the first detachment was despatched in October, 1960. Detailed reports on the project were received here regularly. The total cost to the Exchequer to date of maintaining the R.A.F. personnel and their families in the U.S.A. has been approximately £250,000.

Mr. Mason

asked the Minister of Defence what Government scientific personnel, engineers and rocket scientists have been stationed with, or have periodically visited, the Douglas Aircraft Company, United States of America, in relation to the Skybolt missile programme, giving the dates of their visits and whether they submitted reports; to what extent he asked for, and received, reports of the Skybolt missile development from the Douglas Aircraft Company; whether his department have been in continuous touch with the Defence Department of the United States of America regarding the development of the Skybolt missile; and at what stage his Department was warned of the missile's difficulties.

Mr. Thorneycroft

In addition to Royal Air Force personnel, a team of 13 scientists and engineers was stationed in the U.S.A. as part of the United States Air Force project development organisation; three of these were stationed with the Douglas Aircraft Company. Fifty-three other specialists made periodic visits to the U.S.A. and reports were made as appropriate.

Reports from the Douglas Aircraft Company were requested and received from the United States Air Force. In addition to monthly progress reports numerous reports on specific aspects were received.

My Department was in touch frequently with the U.S. Department of Defense about the project and was kept fully informed throughout the project of problems as and when they arose. A resident liaison officer was appointed in Washington for this purpose and his services were supplemented by visits to the U.S.A. by senior officials.

Mr. Mason

asked the Minister of Defence to what extent work has been carried out fabricating warheads for the Skybolt missile; and if he will give an estimate of the cost of these operations.

Mr. Thorneycroft

None.

Mr. Mason

asked the Minister of Defence what estimate he made of the cost to his Department of producing the Skybolt missile in a joint development programme with the United States of America, as suggested by them.

Mr. Thorneycroft

One of the main reasons why the United States Government decided to cancel the development of Skybolt was that there were uncertainties about the cost and time-scale of the programme. In the circumstances, I am not prepared to venture an estimate of what the cost to the country of a joint development programme would have been.

Mr. Shinwell

asked the Minister of Defence what progress has been made with the negotiations with the United States of America on the provision of Skybolt to the United Kingdom.

Mr. Thorneycroft

The question no longer arises since it was made clear in the Bahamas statement that the United States Government has decided to abandon plans for developing and producing the Skybolt missile.

Mr. Hector Hughes

asked the Minister of Defence if he will now make a statement on the agreement between the United Kingdom and the United States of America relating to the provision of Sky-bolt and other air defences.

Mr. Thorneycroft

I would ask the hon. Member to await the statements which will be made in the course of next week's debate.