§ 22. Mr. Paul ClarkTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on Britain's strategic lift capability. [61362]
§ Mr. SpellarThe Strategic Defence Review concluded that we need to improve our strategic transport capability, to allow us to move more powerful forces quickly to an overseas location. We are planning to do this through acquiring four additional roll-on/roll-off container ships and, in the short term, four large C-17 aircraft or their equivalent. In the longer term, we are considering a replacement for our remaining elderly transport aircraft, for which the European Future Large Aircraft is a contender.