§ Mr. Croninasked the Minister of State for Defence what consideration he is giving to the defence of frigates from ship-to-ship and air-to-ship missiles and submarine-launched surface-to-surface missiles.
§ Mr. BuckWeapon development and tactics are kept continually under review. The best method of defending our frigates is the destruction of the missile platforms, before missile release, and current and planned weapons systems are designed with this object primarily in mind.
§ Mr. Croninasked the Minister of State for Defence what consideration he has given to modifying the designs of frigates' bridges, having regard to the difficulty of access to the operations room and the wings of the bridge from bridges of Leander class frigates.
§ Mr. BuckThe new classes of frigate which it is planned to introduce into naval service in the 1970s will be designed to allow easier access between the bridge and operations room than exists in the Leander Class. Direct access between132W the bridge and bridge wings will also be provided in the new frigates.
§ Mr. Croninasked the Minister of State for Defence what arrangements are being made to ensure that frigates have flight controllers to direct shore-based aircraft giving air cover.
§ Mr. BuckAt present frigates designed for air defence duties carry trained aircraft controllers. For the future, it is planned that ships operating with shore-based aircraft should have sufficient trained men to undertake these control tasks.