HC Deb 24 January 2000 vol 343 cc55-6W
Miss McIntosh

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is the current in-service date of the Eurofighter. [104568]

Mr. Hoon

The in-service date of Eurofighter, which is defined as delivery of the first aircraft, is June 2002.

Mr. Flynn

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the likely effectiveness of the Eurofighter when deployed from aircraft carriers. [104915]

Mr. Hoon

[holding answer 18 January 2000]: This is a matter for the Chief Executive of the Defence Procurement Agency. I have asked the Chief Executive to write to my hon. Friend.

Letter from Robert Walmsley to Mr. Paul Flynn, dated 24 January 2000: I am replying to your question to the Secretary of State for Defence asking what assessment has been made of the likely effectiveness of the Eurofighter when deployed from aircraft carriers. This matter falls within my area of responsibility as Chief of Defence Procurement and Chief Executive of the Defence Procurement Agency. A 'navalised' version of the Eurofighter is one of the options being assessed to meet the Future Carrier Borne Aircraft (FCBA) requirement. FCBA is due to replace the Royal Navy Sea Harrier and the Royal Air Force Harrier forces, and will be required to operate from the two new carriers. A contract has been placed with BAe Systems, to study launch and recovery design issues that would arise from the development of the Eurofighter aircraft for carrier operations. The outcome of this work, together with MOD operational effectiveness studies on the option, will be used to inform the decision on the choice of FCBA aircraft.

Mr. Duncan Smith

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when the Eurofighter will become operational with its full complement of air-to-air and air-to-ground weaponry. [106566]

Mr. Hoon

As the date when Eurofighter will become fully operational could provide a useful indicator about our defence capability to potential adversaries, I am withholding it in accordance with Exemption 1 (Defence, Security, and International Relations) of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information.