HC Deb 05 May 2004 vol 420 cc1523-4W
Mr. Hancock

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the progress of the Nimrod MRA4 aircraft programme; and when a decision will be made on approval for the production phase of aircraft numbers four to 18.[166901]

Mr. Ingram

The agreement reached with BAE Systems in February 2003, embodied in a formal contract amendment on 23 February this year, has put the Nimrod MRA4 programme on a much sounder footing for the future. Under the restructured contract, design and development and manufacture have been separated as far as possible, to ensure that technology is adequately de-risked before making further

NATO Rank codes and UK Service Designations
Royal Navy1 Royal Marines1 Army Royal Air Force
OF 10 Admiral of the Fleet — Field Marshal Marshal of RAF
OF 9 Admiral General General Air Chief Marshal
OF 8 Vice Admiral Lieutenant General Lieutenant General Air Marshal
OF 7 Rear Admiral Major General Major General Air Vice Marshal
OF 6 Commodore Brigadier Brigadier Air Commodore
OF 5 Captain Colonel Colonel Group Captain
OF 4 Commander Lieutenant Colonel Lieutenant Colonel Wing Commander
commitment to production price and schedule. Whilst risks and challenges remain, the development and production of the first three Nimrod MRA4 aircraft to be used in the flight trials programme is well under way and we are making good joint progress towards first flight this summer. Long lead item work continues on aircraft 4–18; a decision to exercise the option in the contract for full production is dependent on design maturity and price negotiation and is expected next year.