§ Mr. DalyellTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the failure rate was of BL755 cluster munitions deployed in the Falklands conflict. [139764]
§ Mr. Spellar[holding answer 24 November 2000]: British forces dropped a total of 107 BL755 cluster bombs during the course of the Falklands conflict. A further four failed to release. The Department does not hold records of the rate of failure of individual bomblets.
§ Mr. DalyellTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of cluster bombs against modern main battle tanks. [139766]
§ Mr. Spellar[holding answer 24 November 2000]: While the cluster bombs currently in service with the RAF have limited effectiveness against modern main battle tanks, they do remain effective against lighter armoured vehicles, soft skinned vehicles, artillery and mortar positions, surface to air missile sites and area targets such as fuel or logistics storage depots. We are taking steps to enhance our air launched anti-tank capability with the introduction of Maverick precision guided missiles in early 2001 and Brimstone in 2002.