§ Mr. Duncan SmithTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many Sea Harriers are available to the Royal Navy; how many are in service; of these how many are in reserve and how many Sea Harriers(a) have been converted to FA2 standard, (b) are undergoing conversion and (c) will be converted in due course. [121596]
§ Mr. Spellar[holding answer 11 May 2000]: The Royal Navy Sea Harrier FA2 programme consisted of 52 aircraft: 18 were purchased from new and a further 34 were converted from Sea Harrier FRS1. The conversion programme was completed in 1999. Allowing for attrition losses, the Royal Navy now has 47 Sea Harriers of which 29 are available to meet operational requirements. Of the remainder, a number are undergoing updates to the navigational system. The balance is held in reserve.