Written question asked by Gerald Howarth (Conservative) on Thursday, 5 November 2009, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 9 November 2009. It was answered by Lord Davies of Stamford (Labour) on Wednesday, 11 November 2009 on behalf of the Ministry of Defence.

Military Aircraft: Helicopters

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what offers of helicopters he has received from the private sector in the last two years; and if he will make a statement.

Answer: The Ministry of Defence occasionally receives offers from industry to purchase or lease helicopters in support of operations. I am withholding the information as its disclosure would prejudice commercial interests.Delivering helicopter capability is complex and beyond the immediate procurement of new airframes, additional time and cost is required to modify helicopters to meet specific operational and environmental threats and likely mission requirements, to certify the aircraft, to deliver support arrangements and to train air and ground crew. In order to deliver increased operational helicopter capability quickly, it has often proven more effective to invest in maximising the return from our existing fleets.Where possible though we have sought to make use of commercial capacity to deliver freight. We have a contract for routine freight movement in Afghanistan, which has allowed our own departmental helicopters to focus on supporting military operations.

Secondary information