Written question asked by Bernard Jenkin (Conservative) on Wednesday, 9 July 2003, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Thursday, 17 July 2003. It was answered by Adam Ingram (Labour) on Thursday, 17 July 2003 on behalf of the Ministry of Defence.

Ministry of Defence

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what his assessment is of the capability improvement of ASRAAM over the AIM9M and AIM9L Sidewinder missiles.

Answer: Mr. Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what his assessment is of the capability improvement of ASRAAM over the AIM9M and AIM9L Sidewinder missiles. [125602] Mr. Ingram: The Advanced Short-Range Air-to-Air Missile (ASRAAM) provides a significant overall improvement in capability to that provided by AIM9 missiles. In particular, ASRAAM flies faster and further and is more agile than AIM9 missiles, enhancing the Royal Air Force's ability to engage enemy aircraft. ASRAAM also demonstrates greater counter-measures performance, greater lethality and better target acquisition than AIM9 missiles. These are all key factors in enabling our pilots to achieve air superiority, not only now, but also against all known emerging threats.

Secondary information