asked the Secretary of State for Defence what savings will accrue from the proposal in the White Paper, Command Paper No. 5976, to reduce the Nimrod force by a quarter.
I would refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Tynemouth (Mr. Trotter) on 1st July.—[Vol. 894, c. 376.]
asked the Secretary of State for Defence what is the current number of aircraft owned by the RAF, Royal Navy and Army; how many of the total are helicopters; and how these figures compare with those for 5, 10, 15 and 20 years ago.
The information is set out below:
| Year | Fixed Wing Aircraft | Helicopters | Aircraft Total | |
| 1955* | … | 9,300 | 100 | 9,400 |
| 1960* | … | 4,540 | 260 | 4,800 |
| 1965 | … | 3,580 | 640 | 4,220 |
| 1970 | … | 2,570 | 930 | 3,500 |
| 1975 | … | 1,940 | 940 | 2,880 |
| * Minimum figures. Exact figures not readily available. | ||||
asked the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has to find a European aircraft to replace eventually the F I 00s and F105s presently in service with some allied air forces.
We expect to join in consultations with a number of our European allies about future requirements for combat aircraft and the ways in which these might best be met, taking account of the advantages of common solutions, amongst other factors.