§ Mr. MacShaneTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is the current status of the Army's Challenger 2 programme; and if he will make a statement. [16724]
§ Mr. SpellarI am pleased to announce that the sequence of three production reliability growth trials has been successfully completed and the contractor, Vickers Defence Systems, has met the agreed technical milestones. The company have successfully demonstrated, therefore, that the high technical and reliability standards demanded by the Ministry of Defence have been met. Work continues to ensure that logistic support arrangements are established prior to the completion of deliveries of tanks to the first regiment in June 1998, as planned.