Joint Air Reconnaissance Centre

HC Deb 19 July 1995 vol 263 cc1345-6W

Mr. Butler

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement about his plans for the joint air reconnaissance centre. [36385]

Mr. Soames

The joint air reconnaissance intelligence centre is a tri-service unit at Royal Air Force Brampton. The unit employs about 500 staff comprising military personnel from all three armed services and civil servants. The unit is the Department's centre of excellence for deriving intelligence from reconnaissance imagery. We have accepted a recommendation made by the defence costs study that the unit should be considered for Defence Agency status with a target launch date of 2 April 1996.