§ Mr. John TownendTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what are his Department's plans for the replacement of the Chieftain tank.
§ Mr. SainsburyFollowing a re-examination of likely developments in future tank technology the Ministry of Defence has been considering the time scale in which it might need to replace the Chieftain tanks which entered service in BAOR in the middle and late 1960s. As well as reviewing possible overseas options the Ministry is discussing with Vickers Defence Systems Ltd. the possibility of adopting an improved version of the Challenger tank. This would be attractive in terms of commonality and interoperability within the British tank fleet. No decisions have, however, yet been taken on the timing of a Chieftain replacement and the Ministry is continuing seriously to examine both the improved Challenger and other possible options.