§ Mr. George Robertsonasked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement with regard to the British Aerospace/Rolls-Royce horizontal take-off and landing project, with particular reference to any discussions within the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation concerning its nuclear weapon delivery potential.
§ Mr. Archie HamiltonI know of no formal discussions within NATO regarding the military potential of HOTOL, including that for nuclear weapon delivery, although those nations which are also members of the European Space Agency are undoubtedly familiar with the HOTOL concept. There is currently no United Kingdom military requirement for such a vehicle.