HC Deb 30 October 1989 vol 159 cc44-5W
Mr. Menzies Campbell

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what were the considerations which led to the withdrawal by the United Kingdom from the modular stand-off weapon programme.

Mr. Alan Clark

The United States and the United Kingdom jointly withdrew from this programme because the differing national requirements were considered to be too difficult to reconcile even within a modular programme. The United States wanted a short-range lightweight weapon for use primarily on F16 aircraft; we wanted a heavier longer-range weapon for use on Tornado.