§ Mr. RogersTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what is the expected final cost of the anti-radiation missile system — ALARM; and when is the expected date of entry into service;
(2) what was the initial estimated cost of the anti-radiation missile system—ALARM; and what was the expected date of entry into service.
§ Mr. SainsburyAt 1987–88 prices including VAT, the total cost of the ALARM missile system as estimated in 1983, at the time of the decision to procure it, was some £350 million; the current estimate is some £610 million, the great majority of which is represented by the fixed price contract recently announced. In 1983, the missile was expected to enter service in the late 1980s; on current plans it will do so in the early 1990s.
§ Mr. RogersTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what lessons he has drawn for the process of decision-taking on procurement of missile systems from the process of choosing the anti-radiation missile system—ALARM;
(2) what anti-radiation missile system was originally sought by the Royal Air Force.
§ Mr. SainsburyA study has recently been completed on the arrangements for managing major projects, such as ALARM, in the Procurement Executive. A copy of the report "Learning From Experience" was placed in the Library on 30 March. In addition, I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 30 March, at column466, to my hon. Friend the Member for Boothferry (Mr. Davis).
As the House was told at the time, the decision taken in 1983 to buy ALARM in preference to HARM was not an easy one. Both options had advantages and disadvantages, and a wide range of complex factors had to be weighed. Both systems were operationally acceptable to the Royal Air Force. The process of evaluation and decision-taking was carried out with scrupulous care befitting the importance of the decision. The operational arguments were reviewed afresh last autumn and the clear conclusion was that ALARM was more suitable for the Royal Air Force's needs.