§ Mr. Duncan SmithTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is the current status of the programme to make modifications to the SA80; when he plans to award a contract; if the modifications will be carried out in the United Kingdom; what is the value of contracts to modify the SA80; how many SA80 rifles have been modified to date to correct identified faults; and when the planned modification work to the SA80 will be complete. [126425]
§ Mr. Kenneth ClarkeTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the current status is of the upgrade programme for the SA80 and the LSW. [127324]
§ Dr. MoonieThe SA80 is an effective weapon system, we plan to retain in service until 2020. There has, however, been concern expressed over its reliability in certain circumstances. We therefore commissioned Heckler and Koch (H&K), a subsidiary of Royal Ordnance, to assess its reliability and to design potential modifications. H&K identified a number of design problems that affected the weapon's performance, especially in extremes of climate. Their proposed modifications were subjected to extensive trails in Alaska and Kuwait. The final report from H&K demonstrated that significant improvements in the reliability of the SA80 could be achieved to make this weapon system among the best in the world.
Having considered all options, including the procurement of a new weapon system, we have concluded that the modification of the SA80 represents the most cost effective solution to the provision of reliable weapons in all climatic conditions. The Secretary of State has, 319W therefore, approved, subject to satisfactory contractual negotiations, the award of a contract to H&K to modify some 200,000 SA80 weapons, including both the Individual Weapon and the Light Support Weapon. The overall cost of the modification programme is estimated at around £80 million, taking account of the cost of trials and support. The contract will provide for numbers to be varied, up or down, as our assessment of the overall final requirement for modified weapons evolves over the next few years.
We will apply the principles of Smart Procurement to achieve the earliest possible in-service date. The first modified weapons will be produced next January, with a total of 22,000 weapons to be delivered by the end of next year. The modified weapons will be subject to a rigorous testing and acceptance programme in the hands of troops to ensure that the production weapons are both effective and reliable.
The Ministry of Defence is exploring with the company the scope to maximise the number of UK jobs involved in the modification programme. Early indications are that work on the stripping and refurbishment of weapons prior to modification will be done in the UK. The modifications
Royal Navy/Royal Marines Rank 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 19960 1997 1998 1999 2000 Total Commander 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 Lieutenant (RM) 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 Midshipman 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 Warrant Officer (RM) 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 Charge Chief Petty Officer 0 2 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 5 Chief Petty Officer 4 4 1 2 0 1 0 0 0 0 2 0 14 Colour Sergeant (RM) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 Petty Officer 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 Sergeant (RM) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 Leading Rate 0 1 0 3 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 5 Corporal (RM) 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 Ableseaman 0 1 0 0 0 3 0 2 0 0 0 0 6 Marine 1 (RM) 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 2 Ordinary Rate 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 2 Total 4 8 5 6 1 6 1 5 2 0 4 0 43 Rate per 1,000 Strength 0.06 0.13 0.10 0.10 0.02 0.11 0.02 0.11 0.04 0.00 0.09 — — Average Strength (thousands) 64.2 62.7 62.3 61.5 58.4 54.4 50.2 47.2 44.8 44.2 43.5 — — 320W
Army Rank 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 Total Lieutenant Colonel 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 Major 0 0 2 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 4 Captain 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 2 Lieutenant 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 2nd Lieutenant 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 Warrant Officer 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 Warrant Officer 2 0 0 1 0 1 0 1 1 1 2 0 0 7 Staff Sergeant 1 1 1 0 2 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 7 Sergeant 3 1 4 0 1 0 2 2 3 0 0 1 17 Corporal 1 5 4 4 1 3 0 3 1 2 0 0 24 Lance Corporal 6 1 2 2 1 4 4 4 1 1 1 0 27 Private 10 10 7 13 10 12 7 6 8 3 3 0 89 Junior 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 Total 22 20 22 19 18 19 16 17 15 9 5 1 183 Rate per 1,000 Strength 0.14 0.13 0.14 0.13 0.13 0.15 0.14 0.15 0.13 0.08 0.04 — — Average Strength (thousands) 161.8 159.1 155.3 150.9 138.6 125.7 114.8 113.5 113.0 113.4 112.9 — — package itself was designed by H&K at Oberndorf in Germany and it is likely to make sense to conduct most of the modification work there.