§ Lord Kennetasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether a British airliner on a scheduled flight over international waters in the Gulf last year was ordered on pain of danger to change course by a US warship, and if so;
- (a) What advice they have given to British airlines, should their pilots receive such orders again;
- (b) Whether they have requested and received any explanation of the event from the US Government, or information about the equipment in use by the US warship at the time, whether that equipment was operating automatically or under the active control of the commander of the ship, and what rules of engagement were in operation; and
- (c) Whether, to their knowledge, similar equipment, capable of automatic response, and under similar rules of engagement, is in use in US naval vessels in the NATO area, and whether they have anything to add to earlier answers concerning the operation of automatic firing systems.
§ The Minister of State for Defence Procurement (Lord Trefgarne)This incident was reported to us. Throughout the Iran-Iraq conflict we stayed in close touch with British carriers to ensure they understood the particular difficulties of operating in the Gulf. This included advice on communications with US warships and how to respond to any instructions from them. We also discussed regularly with the US authorities, through military and other channels, the safety of civil aircraft in the region. It is not our practice to comment on the rules of engagement or the operational capabilities of our NATO allies.