§ 31. Mr. MacShaneTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence if Her Majesty's Government will order the FLA troop and tank-carrying aircraft made by British firms. [41327]
§ Mr. SpellarThe Request for Proposals has been issued to Airbus, Turkish Aerospace Industries, Alenia and FLABEL on a provisional basis pending the formation of Airbus Military Company. We are still discussing with our partners when Requests for Proposals will be issued to other potential suppliers. A procurement decision will be made in the light of the conclusions of the Strategic Defence Review and of the responses to the Request for Proposals. FLA, as currently envisaged, will not be able to carry Main Battle Tanks.