Soviet Mig 29 Fulcrum

HC Deb 27 November 1984 vol 68 cc410-1W

Mr. McNamara

asked the Secretary of State for Defence whether the Royal Air Force currently possesses an aircraft that compares in performance and role to the Soviet Mig 29 Fulcrum.

Mr. Stanley

We assess that the Fulcrum is optimised for the battlefield air superiority role. There is no RAF aircraft with a comparable primary role. The primary air defence task of the Royal Air Force is the protection of the integrity of the United Kingdom air defence region, for which the Tornado F2 is optimised.