§ Mr. Gordon PrenticeTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the cost was of desert-proofing equipment used by the UK military in Oman; and if he will make a statement. [12399]
§ Mr. IngramThe vast majority of the UK military equipment deployed to Oman for Exercise Saif Sareea required no modification in order to operate in the climatic conditions encountered during the exercise. Although individual units may, at modest cost, have taken measures to prepare equipment for the exercise, a decision was taken not to fully desertise all major items of equipment. An example of individual unit measures was the fitting of sand filters and protective blade strips to RN helicopters, the costs of which could be provided only at disproportionate cost.