§ Mr. Gerald HowarthTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence how the expenditure on tranche 2 of Typhoon combat aircraft will be allocated; and whether those funds will be used to develop a ground attack capability. [139277]
§ Mr. IngramThe commitment of some £200 million on tranche 2 of Typhoon has been allocated to cover a range of activities designed to reduce risk and provide a measure of protection to the overall Typhoon programme. These activities include; Computer Risk Reduction Programme, Obsolescence reduction, Equipment Development and other Long Lead Time activities. It is planned that an element of this funding will be used to develop ground attack capability.
§ Mr. Gerald HowarthTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has to convert the order for a second tranche of Eurofighter Typhoon aircraft into aircraft with ground attack capability. [139278]
§ Mr. IngramThe Eurofighter Typhoon will be a multi-role aircraft and will have an initial ground attack capability. Thereafter, it will progressively benefit throughout tranche 2 from an enhanced ground attack capability, as part of the planned incremental acquisition programme. The enhancements are likely to cover datalink and avionics upgrades and integration of a range of air to ground weapons.