§ Captain Kerbyasked the Secretary of State for Defence how much was spent on preparing the carrier H.M.S. "Eagle" to operate the Phantom aircraft during her previous refit; how much work was left outstanding on completion of the refit; and what is the estimate cost of completing the work as originally planned during the ship's current refit.
§ Dr. David OwenNo work was included in H.M.S. "Eagle's" 1966–67 refit as preparation for the operational use of Phantom aircraft. One small item, costing £750, was undertaken to permit trial launches of a lightly loaded Phantom to gain advance experience before "Ark Royal" is commissioned.
103WTo equip H.M.S. "Eagle" in 1971 to operate Phantom aircraft would require an eighteen-month refit costing £15 million of which £3 million could be attributed to Phantom requirements. With the carrier phase out it would not be practicable to undertake this work within the planned remaining life of the ship.