§ Mr. LawsTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many operational fixed wing aircraft there are in the Royal Air Force; and if he will break down this figure by aircraft type and number. [18800]
§ Mr. IngramOn 23 November 2001, there were 676 fixed wing aircraft in the RAF's Actual Operating Fleet. The Actual Operating Fleet comprises all aircraft which are fully operational or in 1st or 2nd line maintenance. The breakdown of this figure by aircraft type and number is detailed in the table:
Aircraft type Number of aircraft BAe 125 ccMk3 5 BAe 146 ccMk2 2 C-17 4 Canberra 6 Chipmunk 2 Dakota 1 Dominie 10 Harrier GR7 50 Harrier T10 9 Sea Harrier FA2 27 Sea Harrier T8 4 Hawk 110 Hercules C-13OJ 23 Hercules C-130K 26 Islander 1 Jaguar 43 Jetstream TMk 21 Nimrod 19 Sentry E-3D AEW Mk1 6 Tornado F3 86 Tornado GR1/4 117 Tristar 8 Tucano Mk1 77 VC10 19 The RAF also operates the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight, which comprises seven fixed wing aircraft. The breakdown of this figure by aircraft type and number is detailed in the table:
Aircraft type Number Hurricane 2 Lancaster B1 1 Spitfire 4