§ Mr. Skeetasked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will assess the possible use of airships for North sea surveillance as an alternative to Nimrod aircraft.
§ Mr. Richard Pageasked the Secretary of State for Defence what evaluations have taken place as to the role of airships in surveillance duties; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Robert Atkinsasked the Secretary of State for Defence (1) whether any staff of his Department, military or civilian, are designated to examine, evaluate and report on the possible uses of airships for defence purposes;
480W(2) what steps he is taking to evaluate the possible uses of airships for defence purposes: and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. PattieIt is planned to place study contract shortly for the investigation of potential defence roles for airships. This will cover a wide range of possible applications including surveillance tasks; the results will be considered by the staffs having responsibility for assessing the defence value of future aerospace systems.