Written question asked by Bernard Jenkin (Conservative) on Thursday, 17 October 2002, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Thursday, 24 October 2002. It was answered by Lord Moonie (Labour) on Thursday, 24 October 2002 on behalf of the Ministry of Defence.

Ministry of Defence

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, for what reasons the ASRAAM missile is not to be equipped to Harrier (a) GR7 and (b) GR9 variants.

Answer: Mr. Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence for what reasons the ASRAAM missile is not to be equipped to Harrier (a) GR7 and (b) GR9 variants. [76345] Dr Lewis Moonie: We are currently upgrading our Harrier GR7 fleet to GR9. Shortly before such a major upgrade, it was not considered cost effective to carry out such substantial modifications. Consideration was given to equipping the Harrier GR9 with ASRAAM as part of the upgrade programme. However, as the Harrier GR fleet is already equipped with the Sidewinder AIM9-L for defensive purposes, and the purpose of the GR9 upgrade is to improve offensive capability, it was concluded that fitting of ASRAAM would not represent the best use of Ministry of Defence resources.

Secondary information

Type: Written question
Reference: 76345; 391 c436W;391 c435W
Session: 2001-02
Subjects: Military aircraft Harrier aircraft Guided weapons Antiaircraft missiles
Link: View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk