HC Deb 22 March 1988 vol 130 cc101-2W
22. Mr. Harry Greenway

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment his Department has made of Soviet modernisation of their conventional weapons; and if he will make a statement.

34. Mr. Thorne

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment his Department has made of Soviet modernisation of their conventional weapons; and if he will make a statement.

115. Mr. Barry Field

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment his Department has made of Soviet modernisation of their conventional weapons; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Ian Stewart

I refer my hon. Friends to the reply I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Wyre Forest (Mr. Coombs) on 17 March at columns626–27.

26. Mr. Hunter

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment his Department has made of Soviet modernisation of their nuclear weapons; and if he will make a statement.

80. Mr. Tracey

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment his Department has made of Soviet modernisation of their nuclear weapons; and if he will make a statement.

94. Mr. Cyril D. Townsend

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment his Department has made of Soviet modernisation of their nuclear weapons; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Ian Stewart

The Soviet Union is continuing to modernise its very substantial range of nuclear capable forces. New missiles are either being deployed or at an advanced stage of development. A new road-mobile ICBM, the SS-25, has been deployed and the world's first rail-mobile ICBM, the SS-X-24, will be deployed shortly. The Typhoon and Delta IV SSBNs, which have recently entered service, both carry new multiple warhead missiles. A number of other systems are also being introduced, including sea and air-launched cruise missiles, with the AS-15 air-launched cruise missile and SS-N-21 submarine-launched cruise missile already in service. The longer range SS-NX-24 is also at an advanced stage of development. Additionally, deployment of a new strategic aircraft, the Blackjack, which is also capable of carrying cruise missiles, could begin before the end of the decade. Finally, improved nuclear artillery is also being deployed in large numbers, while all short-range nuclear surface-to-surface missiles are being, or are about to be, replaced with, for example, FROG battalions being converted to the longer range SS-21.