§ Mr. BrandrethTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement about the United Kingdom's sub-strategic nuclear capability. [18913]
§ Mr. SoamesIn 1993 the Government announced that in the longer term we would utilise the flexibility of the Trident system to under take the sub-strategic as well as the strategic nuclear role. I am pleased to say that the arrangements for this are progressing well. The Trident system will provide a continuously available sub-strategic capability when the second submarine—HMS Victorious—joins the patrol cycle around the end of this year, and the capability will be fully robust when HMS Vigilant enters service in 1998. In the light of this we have decided that the WE177 free-fall bomb should be withdrawn from service by the end of 1998.