Aircraft (Hansard, 19 January 1999)

§ Mr. Hancock
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is the forecast service life of(a) Eurofighter and (b) Jaguar aircraft engines. [65732]

§ Mr. Spellar
The forecast service life of the Eurofighter engine will be aligned to the predicted life of the whole aircraft, which is 25 years or 6,000 flying hours.
The Jaguar aircraft entered RAF service in 1973. On current plans, the Jaguar fleet, including the engines, will leave service in the later part of the next decade.
Modern aircraft engines are of modular design. Each module has an approved life and may be replaced during the life of the whole engine in accordance with established maintenance policy.

§ Mr. Hancock
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is the forecast service life of(a) Harrier GR7 and (b) Jaguar aircraft airframes. [65731]

§ Mr. Spellar
The Harrier GR7 aircraft entered RAF service in 1987. On current plans, the Harrier GR7 fleet will achieve a service life of some 30 years.
The Jaguar aircraft entered RAF service in 1973. On current plans, the Jaguar fleet will leave service in the later part of the next decade.

§ Mr. Hancock
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what service life has been achieved to date and what is forecast for Canberra aircraft in service with the RAF. [65733]

§ Mr. Spellar
The RAF Canberra fleet comprises two marks of the aircraft, the T4 and the PR9. The T4s entered service between 1954 and 1955 and have served some 44 years. The PR9s entered service between 1959 and 1960 and have served some 39 years. On current plans, the Canberra fleet will leave service in the early part of the next decade.