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27 Oct 2008 : Column 636W—continued
Dr. Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many and what percentage of (a) Nimrod, (b) Harrier, (c) Tornado GR4, (d) Tornado F3 and (e) Typhoon aircraft are (i) in service, (ii) in the forward fleet and (iii) fit for purpose. [226995]
Mr. Quentin Davies: The information requested for Nimrod, Harrier, Tornado GR4, Tornado F3 and Typhoon aircraft that are in service, in the forward fleet (FF) and considered fit for purpose (FFP) is provided in the following table. ‘In service' has been taken to mean the effective fleet which covers all aircraft barring those which are redundant, declared as surplus or awaiting disposal. FF aircraft are those that are available to the front line command for operational and training purposes including those that are classed as 'short-term unserviceable'; aircraft undergoing scheduled depth maintenance, or planned routine fleet maintenance are not included. Aircraft defined as FFP are those considered capable of carrying out their planned missions on a given date. The figures shown are a snapshot for the 30 September, except where stated, and have been rounded to the nearest whole number.
| Aircraft | Fleet number | In service | Percentage of total fleet in service | Number in FF | Percent of total in FF | Number of aircraft FFP | Percentage of FF aircraft which are FFP |
| (1) Figures are average for September 2008. | |||||||
Dr. Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence on how many days on average a (a) Hercules C-130, (b) Tristar, (c) VC-10 and (d) C-17 Globemaster was (i) on operations, (ii) engaged in non-operational flying, (iii) available but not flown, (iv) in scheduled maintenance, (v) undergoing other repair activity, (vi) undergoing unscheduled maintenance, (vii) awaiting spares and (viii) not worked in each of the last three years. [230172]
Mr. Quentin Davies: This information requested is not held centrally, and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Military Aircraft: Helicopters
Dr. Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what percentage of (a) Chinook, (b) Merlin and (c) Sea King helicopters are (i) in service, (ii) fit for purpose and (iii) out of service. [226903]
Mr. Quentin Davies: The percentages of the (a) Chinook, (b) Merlin and (c) Sea King helicopters considered (i) in service, (ii) fit for purpose and (iii) out of service are detailed in the following table. ‘In service’ has been taken to mean the effective fleet which covers all aircraft barring those which are redundant, declared as surplus or awaiting disposal. Fit for purpose aircraft are those in the forward fleet considered capable of carrying out their planned missions on a given date. Aircraft in the forward fleet are those that are available to the front line command for operational and training purposes, including those that are classed as ‘short-term unserviceable’: aircraft undergoing scheduled depth maintenance, or planned routine fleet maintenance are excluded. ‘Out of service’ has been taken to mean the non-effective fleet, which covers those aircraft that are redundant, declared as surplus or awaiting disposal.
The following figures are for averages for the month of August 2008.
| August 2008 | |||
| In service aircraft as a percentage of total fleet | Fit for purpose aircraft as a percentage of forward fleet | Out of service aircraft as a percentage of total fleet | |
| (1) Deployed on operations. | |||
The number of helicopters fit for purpose will vary from day to day due, primarily, to routine maintenance requirements. Operational capability is measured in terms of flying hours rather than the number of airframes available. All rotary wing operational requirements are currently being met.
Dr. Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many and what percentage of helicopters in the (a) Army Air Corps, (b) Fleet Air Arm and (c) Royal Air Forces are (i) in service, (ii) in the forward fleet and (iii) fit for purpose, broken down by helicopter type. [226996]
Mr. Quentin Davies: The numbers and types of helicopters used by the Army Air Corps, Fleet Air Arm and Royal Air Force which are in service, in the forward fleet and considered fit for purpose are detailed in the following table. "In service" has been taken to mean the effective fleet which covers all aircraft barring those which are redundant, declared as surplus or awaiting disposal. Aircraft in the "forward fleet" are those that are available to the front line command for operational and training purposes, including those that are classed as "short-term unserviceable": aircraft undergoing scheduled depth maintenance, or planned routine fleet maintenance are excluded. Fit for purpose aircraft are those in the forward fleet considered capable of carrying out their planned missions on a given date.
The following figures represent averages taken for August 2008.
| Total fleet | In service | Percentage of total fleet that is in service | Number in forward fleet | Percentage of in service aircraft that is in the forward fleet | Number f it for p urpose | Percentage of forward fleet fit aircraft that is for purpose | |
| (1 )Deployed on operations. | |||||||
The number of helicopters fit for purpose will vary from day to day due, primarily, to routine maintenance requirements. Operational capability is measured in terms of flying hours rather than the number of airframes available. All rotary wing operational requirements are currently being met.
Mr. Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what proportion of helicopters used by British armed forces was contracted from private operators in the latest period for which figures are available. [227976]
Mr. Quentin Davies: In financial year 2007-08 the proportion of helicopters contracted from private operators was 9.6 per cent.
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