§ Mr. CohenTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) when a decision is to be made about whether the United Kingdom will enter the next phase of the NFR 90 collaborative frigate project;
(2) further to his answer of 12 November 1987, Official Report, column 298, if he will make a statement about the outcome of project definition and subsequent decisions in respect of the NFR 90 collaborative frigate project.
§ Mr. YoungerFollowing completion of international feasibility studies, we have been considering whether to participate in the next stage, project definition, of the collaborative project NFR 90 (a NATO frigate replacement for the nineties). NFR 90 could potentially meet the Royal Navy's requirement for an anti-air warfare escort coming into service at the turn of the century to replace the type 42 destroyers. Adoption of a standard frigate by NATO navies would yield valuable operational advantages in terms of interoperability.
In the interests of sound and efficient procurement practice, we have been concerned to ensure proper coordination between work on the frigate and work on the principal armament it would require for Royal Navy service, namely a support defence missile system, which we hope to procure through a separate collaborative programme. Although our concerns on this score are not yet entirely allayed, I am pleased to say that, following discussion with our allies, we have now decided to join the project definition stage of NFR 90 and to sign the implementing memorandum of understanding. We are, however, making clear to our partners that our continued participation is conditional upon the agreement of a timetable which is both realistic in technical terms and properly matched to the timetables for the ship's major weapon systems.
The arrangements for project definition include provision for reviews at various points by the participating nations to take stock of progress. In the light of the first such review, we shall consider whether the timetable proposed for the remainder of the project has the characteristics we are seeking, and we shall decide accordingly whether or not to continue our participation.