§ Mr. Gerald HowarthTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what percentage of the total projected budget of the Future Joint Combat Aircraft was spent prior to main gate approval. [176355]
§ Mr. Ingram£144 million was spent on the pre Main Gate Assessment phase of the Joint Combat Aircraft programme. This equates to 6 per cent. of the approved procurement cost to date. This figure excludes expenditure by the United States on the Joint Strike Fighter.