§ Mr. KeyTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is the total number of Sea King helicopters in the possession of the Royal Navy; how many of them have been identified as having cracks in the lift frame; what is the average cost of repairing such cracks; and how many Sea Kings are currently unserviceable as a result of lift frame or other cracks. [29920]
§ Mr. SoamesThe Royal Navy owns 119 Sea King helicopters and the RAF owns a further 25. Over the life of the combined fleets, 170 lift frames have cracked. The average cost of a repair is £58,000. Eight RN Sea Kings and one RAF Sea King are currently unserviceable for lift frame or similar cracks.