§ Lord Inglewoodasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they have asked Airbus if the A340 could be adapted to fulfil a military role equivalent to that carried out for the United States by the B52. [HL1432]
§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Ministry of Defence (Lord Bach)The UK does not currently have a requirement for an airborne platform capable of delivering the same type or numbers of ordnance as carried by a B52. However, the UK does have a requirement to replace, towards the end of the next decade, the strike capability currently provided by the Tornado GR4 aircraft. This programme is known as the future offensive air system. While no decisions have yet been taken, we are currently looking at a potential mix of systems to deliver precision strike capability, including long-range cruise missiles, uninhabited air combat vehicles and manned aircraft. As part of this work the potential of large military and converted civil aircraft, such as the Airbus A340, to act as launch platforms for long-range conventional air launched cruise missiles is being considered.