§ Mr. RapsonTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on his plans for the future procurement of(a) Merlin and (b) Astor from Lockheed Martin. [42914]
§ Mr. SpellarI can confirm that, like many other equipment programmes, the procurement of the second batch of Merlin HM Mark 1 helicopters is under consideration as part of the Strategic Defence Review. A judgment must be taken on the optimum balance of Anti-Submarine Warfare assets, including helicopters, fixed wing aircraft, ships and submarines, in light of the perceived threat and against the backdrop of finite resources.
A package of SDR measures has been put before Cabinet, but no final decisions have yet been taken. Once they have, they will be published as quickly as possible.
Final proposals for ASTOR development and production were received at the end of February 1998 and are currently being evaluated. It is planned that a final decision will be taken around the end of this year.