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Training (Stranraer)
Mr. Foulkes:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the locations, acreage, and types of training allowed under each training licence for ground forces training within 25 miles of Stranraer. [16811]
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Mr. Soames:
Within 25 miles of Stranraer, military ground forces training takes place at the Galloway training area and Castle Kennedy airfield. Only a very small percentage of the 67,617 ha of the Galloway training area lies within 25 miles of Stranraer and since 1 January 1987 use has been regulated by a licence granted by the Forestry Commission. The area is used mainly for low level tactical infantry training, orienteering, medical training, map reading, adventure training and very occasional parachute jumps.
Castle Kennedy, which extends to 370 ha, is regularised under an ongoing licence from Stair estate and is used for low level tactical infantry training, first aid, bivouacking, signals and driver training. In addition to these specific training licences, military units can apply to use other Stair estate, Forestry Commission or private land on a one off basis by separate individual agreement with the landlord concerned.
Mr. Foulkes:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what proportion of the Royal Air Force Tornado GR.1 fleet are to be repainted in grey camouflage scheme; and what proportion have been repainted. [16814]
Mr. Soames:
All Tornado interdictor strike--GR.1 and GR.4--aircraft are to be painted in the grey camouflage scheme at the time of their next scheduled respray. So far the new paint scheme has been applied to 41 aircraft.
Mr. Simpson:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what has been the average annual running cost of a nuclear-powered hunter-killer submarine in each of the last five years. [16815]
Mr. Soames:
The average annual operating costs for Swiftsure and Trafalgar class SSNs over the period 1992-3 to 1994-5 were broadly as follows (at mid-year prices):
| Swiftsure (£ million) | Trafalgar (£ million) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1992-93 | 19.1 | 11.1 |
| 1993-94 | 18.9 | 13.1 |
| 1994-95 | 24.8 | 19.3 |
Figures for 1995-96 and 1996-97 are not available.
Nuclear Fuel Rods (Sellafield)
Mr. Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much has been spent in each of the last five years storing spent nuclear submarine fuel rods at Sellafield. [16817]
Mr. Soames: The cost of storage of spent submarine reactor fuel at BNFL Sellafield in each of the last five years, from 1992 to 1996 inclusive, is £0.6 million, £1.1 million, £1.6 million, £2.6 million and £2.3 million respectively.
Army Mechanised Training
Mr. Foulkes:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has for Army mechanised training in the Spadeadam area. [16833]
24 Feb 1997 : Column: 114
Mr. Soames:
It is expected that individual Army units, including mechanised units, will continue to make some limited use of the facilities at RAF Spadeadam.
Mr. Foulkes:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the dates, locations and types of equipment used in deployments of electronic warfare threat simulator equipment outside the Spadeadam range boundaries since December 1994. [16818]
| Location | Type of equipment | 1995 | 1996 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dumfries | Skyguard | 20-21 November | -- |
| South Wales | Skyguard | 8-12 May | -- |
| JETS | 8-12 January | -- | |
| Aberporth | Skyguard | 15-21 January | -- |
| 6-10 February | -- | ||
| 13-17 March | -- | ||
| Brownside | Skyguard | 3-7 April | -- |
| JETS | 18-22 September | -- | |
| T 43 | 3-7 April | -- | |
| 18-22 September | -- | ||
| Brunton | Skyguard | 10-14 July | -- |
| T 43 | 19-20 July | -- | |
| Otterburn | Skyguard | 19-21 July | 1-5 September |
| 2-6 September | |||
| JETS | 2-6 September | ||
| T 43 | 10-14 July | -- |
Deployments in the low flying monitoring role or for public relations are excluded from the table.
Mr. Foulkes:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list (a) the US-owned equipment withdrawn by the United States of America, (b) the new US-owned equipment installed and (c) the new United Kingdom-owned equipment installed at the Spadeadam range over the last three years. [16824]
Mr. Soames:
The information requested is as follows:
Mr. Foulkes:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence on what date crew resource management training was introduced for Nimrod aircrew. [16800]
Mr. Soames:
This training was introduced from 27 March 1996.
Mr. Foulkes:
To ask the Secretary of State for State for Defence if the air display manoeuvres carried out by the Nimrod aircraft which crashed in Canada in September 1995 had been (a) reviewed and (b) authorised by (i) the station commander of RAF Kinloss and (ii) the Nimrod standards evaluation personnel. [16828]
Mr. Soames:
The Nimrod display sequence had been reviewed and authorised by both the station commander at RAF Kinloss and air officer commanding No. 18 group.
24 Feb 1997 : Column: 115
It should be noted that the accident was caused by the pilot, who made an error of judgment in modifying one of the manoeuvres after the display sequence had been authorised, and this led the aircraft to stall at a height and attitude from which recovery was impossible. Nimrod standards evaluation personnel have no responsibility for either reviewing or authorising display flying.
Mr. Foulkes:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the changes made to the training licence agreement for Kielder forest in the last five years. [16832]
Mr. Soames:
The training licence at Kielder forest was last renewed in 1993 when the maximum number of major exercises permitted in any one year increased from one to three and the definition of major exercise was changed from "more than 250 men" to "more than 350 but less than 1,200 men". The maximum number of permitted days of military training and the periods during the year when training could take place, remained unchanged. The licence is currently being reviewed on similar terms and conditions.
Mr. Foulkes:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the impact on the locations and scheduling of air combat training of the acquisition of rangeless airborne instrumentation debriefing systems for the RAF. [16836]
Mr. Soames:
The planned acquisition of the rangeless airborne instrumented debriefing system--RAIDS--is not expected in itself to generate an increase in air combat training above current levels, but would be used to debrief all forms of tactical training. However, our withdrawal from the air weapons training installation at Decimomannu, Sardinia, has been prompted in part by our decision to procure such a system and a small increase in air training conducted in UK airspace will occur as a result. As now, much of this training will be conducted over the sea.
Mr. Foulkes:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on his plans to acquire rangeless airborne instrumentation debriefing systems for the RAF; and if such systems will incorporate a capability to record and debrief low-level air-to-ground attacks. [16837]
Mr. Arbuthnot:
I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the late hon. Member for Don Valley (Mr. Redmond) on 13 January 1997, Official Report, column 124. It is planned that RAIDS would provide a recording and debriefing capability across the entire range of RAF fast jet training requirements, including low-level air-to-ground attacks.
Mr. Foulkes:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what tests have been conduced on the visibility of Tornado aircraft in the grey camouflage scheme; and if he will make a statement. [16813]
24 Feb 1997 : Column: 116
Mr. Soames:
A trial comparing the conspicuity of the Tornado aircraft in a dark camouflage grey scheme with the grey and green disruptive pattern was undertaken in 1994. Dark camouflage grey was recommended as the camouflage scheme for the Tornado GR1.
(a) The US-owned equipment withdrawn consists of:
AN--MSR T4 TRAINS (Threat Reaction Analysis System); and
AN--MST--T1(V) Mini-MUTES (Multiple Threat Emitter System) systems.
(b) No new US-owned equipment has been installed.
(c) Two additional UK-owned Skyguard Radars have been declared operational.
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