§ Andrew GeorgeTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many Merlin helicopters have been(a) ordered, (b) purchased, (c) delivered and (d) brought into full service for the Royal Navy since the decision was first made to purchase the Merlin. [174882]
§ Mr. Ingram[holding answer 21 May 2004]: A total of 44 Merlin Mk1 aircraft have been ordered, purchased and delivered to the Ministry of Defence. 39 helicopters have entered service with the Royal Navy, of which two have been subsequently lost as a result of accidents. The remaining five helicopters are currently being used as trials and development aircraft.
§ Andrew GeorgeTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the(a) original budget was and (b) the total cost has been of purchasing and fully commissioning the Merlin helicopter for the Royal Navy, both as (i) a total amount and (ii) an amount per aircraft in service. [174884]
§ Mr. Ingram[holding answer 21 May 2004]: The original budget allocated to the Merlin Mk1 programme was £1.1 billion (VAT inclusive) at 1982 prices. Since that time our requirement has matured and as a result the programme has changed considerably. The final cost of purchasing and commissioning the Merlin Mk1 fleet of 44 aircraft was just over £4.6 billion (VAT inclusive), which equates to approximately £105 million per helicopter.