§ Mr. Hastingsasked the Secretary of State for Defence what are his latest plans for meeting the operational requirement of the Royal Air Force for a tactical strike and reconnaissance aircraft to replace TSR2; what are the relative advantages of the Mirage IV and the F111; and when he expects to make a decision.
§ Mr. HealeyAs I informed the House on 21st July we are examining every possible340W replacement for the Canberra, but we cannot take a final decision until the defence review has made further progress. Examination of the precise performance required and the relative advantages of the possible contenders forms part of our study.