§ Mr. Trotterasked the Secretary of State for Defence what is the approximate average age of the Shackleton aircraft employed in the airborne early warning rôle and of their search radar; and what plans he has for their replacement by modern aircraft.
§ Mr. JohnThese aircraft are some 20 years old on average but were refurbished before transferring to the airborne early warning rôle in 1972–73. A further programme to re-spar the wings is about to start and will enable the aircraft to continue in service through the 1970s. The search radars used have been modernised as part of a continuing improvement programme. We are actively considering the question of a possible successor system.