Oral answer to question provided on Tuesday, 2 May 2006 in the House of Lords, by Lord Drayson (Labour).

Armed Forces: Helicopters

Answer: Yes, my Lords, it is my understanding that transport aircraft have the necessary defensive measures. With regard to the countermeasures that the noble Lord mentioned—breastplates for combat body armour and the suppressant foam—we are moving as fast as we can to address those issues. We must recognise that threats evolve quite quickly in certain circumstances. The Hercules was not regarded as being under such a threat previously. We are now addressing that and seeking to fit explosion-suppressant foam to our Hercules aircraft as quickly as possible.

This is an answer to the Oral question asked on Tuesday, 2 May 2006 by Lord Astor of Hever (Conservative).

Question: My Lords, this morning, we heard the news of the tragic case of the Hercules shot down without the safety device repeatedly requested by pilots. On Thursday, we heard of Sergeant Roberts, who was killed without ceramic plates in his flak jacket. That raises the question of whether the Government are giving sufficient priority to the protection of our Armed Forces. Can the Minister confirm that all transport helicopters in Iraq and Afghanistan have the necessary defensive measures against ground attack?

Secondary information