HC Deb 02 July 1990 vol 175 cc463-4W
Mr. Nicholas Bennett

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what(a) navigational lights and (b) security lights will be provided on the proposed over-the-horizon radar at St. David's airfield, Pembrokeshire; and at what height and distance they will be visible.

Mr. Alan Clark

There are no plans to include navigational lights on the proposed over-the-horizon radar at St. David's airfield, Pembrokeshire. The whole question of lighting will, however, be fully addressed in the environmental impact assessment.

Mr. Nicholas Bennett

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether any non-Ministry of Defence sites were included in the 166 sites examined for the over-the-horizon radar proposed for St. David's airfield, Pembrokeshire.

Mr. Alan Clark

No. All the 166 sites considered for the installation of either the transmitter or the receiver for the proposed trial of the over-the-horizon radar in the United Kingdom were already in Ministry of Defence use.

Mr. Nicholas Bennett

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will give details of the proposed landscaping of the over-the-horizon radar site at St. David's airfield, Pembrokeshire.

Mr. Alan Clark

Proposals for landscaping of the over-the-horizon radar site at St. David's airfield, Pembrokeshire, will be addressed in the environmental impact assessment.

Mr. Nicholas Bennett

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what changes in current flight patterns, including take-offs and landings, will be necessary at RAF Brawdy if the proposed over-the-horizon radar installation is constructed on the St. David's airfield, Pembrokeshire.

Mr. Alan Clark

If the proposed over-the-horizon radar is built at St. David's airfield, minor adjustments in the radar pattern and westerly departure routes from RAF Brawdy may be necessary. There will be no impact on safety or operations at RAF Brawdy.

Mr. Nicholas Bennett

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what alternative arrangements are proposed to provide RAF Brawdy with an emergency landing strip if the present one at St. David's airfield, Pembrokeshire, is used for the proposed over-the-horizon radar installation.

Mr. Alan Clark

St. David's airfield is not normally designated as an emergency landing strip for RAF Brawdy. A number of airfields will remain available to aircraft on training flights from RAF Brawdy in an emergency. Which is used would depend on where the training flight took place, and weather conditions.

Mr. Nicholas Bennett

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his reply of 19 June,Official Report, column 782, if he will make a statement on other means by which radar cover could be provided similar to that proposed as a result of the installation of over-the-horizon radar at St. David's airfield, Pembrokeshire.

Mr. Alan Clark

At present, radar coverage of the United Kingdom air defence region to the north of the United Kingdom is provided principally by airborne early warning (AEW) aircraft, supplemented by shipborne radars, ground-based microwave radars in the United Kingdom, and allied ground-based systems in Iceland and Norway. Studies have concluded that a northward-looking over-the-horizon radar (OTHR) located in this country could make a particular contribution to the air defence of the United Kingdom by providing wide area coverage of a considerable proportion of the Norwegian sea. This would allow greater flexibility and efficiency in the use of scarce air defence assets that would otherwise have to fulfil this role; it would also allow frequent coverage of areas where the regular use of AEW aircraft would be uneconomic.

Alternative methods of providing similar coverage to an OTHR, such as space-based radar or additonal AEW aircraft, would cost substantially more.

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