To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is the average duration of a low-flying sortie by a fast jet.
Approximately 45 minutes.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the locations and dates of periods of covert monitoring of low-flying operations conducted by Royal Air Force police since 1987.
Since 1987 the RAF police have carried out covert surveys at the following locations over the following periods.
Date and location
1987
- 16–18 March—Banham Zoo
- 7–9 April—Penrith, Morpeth and Amble
- 14–15 April—Pickering and Jedburgh
- 1 June—Peterborough
- 7–8 July—Redmile
- 21–24 July—Dumfries and Galloway
- 21–24 July—Builth Wells
- 4–6 August—Grindleford Bridge
- 4–6 August—Alnwick
- 5 August—Haltwhistle
- 11–12 August—Leighton Hall, Carnforth
- 13–14 August—Castle Farm, Devon
- 19–20 August—Haxby
- 15–17 September—Scarborough
- 21–25 September—Ettrick
1988
- 14–18 March—Amble
- 25–28 April—Quedgeley and Hardwicke
- 26–27 April—Braunston
- 7 June—Farndon
- 14–16 June—Crediton
- 21–23 June—Kidwelly
- 22 June—Tumble
- 27–29 June—Stonehouse
- 28–30 June—Keswick
- 12 July—Hexham
- 12 July—Holmc on Spalding Moor
- 18–21 July—Builth Wells
- 26–27 July—Machynlleth
- 23–25 August—Morpeth
- 6–8 September—Halesworth
- 11–13 October—Melrose
- 18–20 October—Milford Haven
- Late October/early November—Redburn
- 15–17 November—Newark/Farndon
1989
- 6–9 February—Upper Chute, Hampshire
- 25–27 April—Liskeard, Cornwall
- 2–4 May—Gloucester
- 8–11 May—Blencarn, Cumbria
- 15–19 May—Wigtown, Dunfries and Galloway
- 22–26 May—Haddington, Lothian
- 26–30 June—Knaresborough, North Yorkshire (Skyguard deployment)
- 24–27 July—Earl Shilton, Leicestershire
- 24–27 July—Market Bosworth, Leicestershire
- 31 July-4 August-Penrith, Cumbria (Skyguard deployment)
- 26–27 September—Glan Conwy, Gwynedd
- 3–5 October—Alnwick, Northumberland(Skyguard deployment)
1990
- 30 January-1 February—Machynlleth, Powys
- 5–9 March—Wetheral, Cumbria
- 25–28 March—Llanrhidian, West Glamorgan
- 26–30 March—Hereford
- 26–30 March—Alnwick area, Northumberland Kelso area, Borders (Skyguard deployment)
- 15–17 May—Melrose, Borders
- 22–24 May—Inverness and Dingwall, Highlands
- 25–28 June—St. Mary's Loch, Borders
- 10–13 July—Glastonbury/Shepton Mallet, Somerset (Skyguard deployment)
- 17–20 September—Grange over Sands, Cumbria (Skyguard deployment)
- 1–2 October—Richmond, North Yorkshire (Skyguard deployment)
- 3–4 October—Leerning, North Yorkshire (Skyguard deployment)
- 15–18 October—Cosford, Warwickshire
- 13–15 November—Peterborough, Cambridgeshire (Skyguard deployment)
1991
- 23–25 April—Richmond/Barnard Castle, North Yorkshire (Skyguard deployment)
- 14–16 May—Chatteris, Cambridgeshire
- 4–6 June—Brough, Humberside
Exercise name
| Exercise dates
| Exercise location
|
1987
| ||
Gryphon's Gunner | 6 March | Lincolnshire |
Polar Dawn III | 7–8 March | Norfolk |
Key Lift 87 | 7–15 March | North Yorkshire |
Quicksand | 15–22 March | Many areas with centre on Northumberland |
Mallet Blow 87/1 | 6–10 April | Northern England/Borders |
Priory 87/1 | 13–15 April | Cumbria/Lincolnshire/North East England/ Eastern Scotland |
Ardent/Ground | 20 April to 10 May | Salisbury Plain |
Grand Design | 25 April to 17 May | Salisbury Plain |
Hammer 87/1 | 19 May | East Anglia/Northern England/Southern Scotland |
Central Enterprise 87 | 1 June | East Anglia/Lincolnshire/North East England/ Scotland |
OSEX 14 | 20–24 July | South West Scotland |
- 1–4 July—South Wales Powys (Skyguard deployment)
- 16–18 July—Northumberland, Morpeth (Skyguard deployment)
- 22–25 July—Builth Wells, Powys
- 5–8 August—Hebden Bridge, North Yorkshire
- 20–22 August—Auldgrith, Dumfries and Galloway
- 9–12 September—Great Torrington, Devon
- 23–26 September—Keswick/Kendal, Cumbria
- 14–17 October—Hexham, Northumberland
- 22–24 October—Cley/Stiffkey, Norfolk (Skyguard deployment)
- 4–7 November—Cumbernauld, South Clyde
- 18–21 November—Melrose, Borders
1992
- 21–23 January—Market Rasen, Lincolnshire
- 10–13 February—East Fortune, Lothian (Skyguard deployment)
- 9–12 March—Duns, Berwickshire (Skyguard deployment)
- 10–12 March—Oakford, Devon
- 6–9 April—Newton Stewart, Dumfries and Galloway
- 7–9 April—Carmarthen, Dyfed (Skyguard deployment)
- 28–30 April—Malton, North Yorkshire
- 5–7 May—Carlisle, Cumbria
- 18–21 May—Dumfries (Skyguard deployment)
- 8–11 June—Forest of Dean, Gloucester and Hope Under Dinmore, Hereford and Worcester (Skyguard deployment)
- 29 June 2 July—Beverley/Linley Hill Aerodrome, Humberside (Skyguard deployment)
- 11–14 August—East Anstey, Tiverton, Devon
- 21–24 September—King's Lynn, Norfolk
- 21–24 September—Conan Bridge, Firth, Highlands (Skyguard deployment)
- 6–7 October—Norwich, Norfolk
- 3–5 November—Llanyyold, North Wales
- 17–18 November—Market Deeping, Lincolnshire (Skyguard deployment)
- 24–26 November—Morpeth, Northumberland
1993
- 22–26 February—Cockermouth, Cumbria (Skyguard deployment)
- 22–25 February—Ingleton, North Yorkshire
- 2–4 March—Midsomer Norton, Radstock, Avon
- 15–18 March—Stafford
- 29 March–1 April—Belford, Berwickshire
- 26–30 April—Hereford (Skyguard deployment)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the names, dates and locations of all low-flying exercises conducted in each year since 1987, where advance notice was given to hon. Members in affected constituences.
In each year since 1987, notice of the following exercises has been given to hon. Members whose constituencies were likely to experience unusual low-flying activity:
Exercise name
| Exercise dates
| Exercise location
|
Roaring Lion | 24–31 July | Many areas with centre on Salisbury Plain |
Mallet Blow 87/2 | 3–7 August | Northern England/Borders |
Fast Buzzard | 18–25 September | Many areas with centre on Salisbury Plain |
Hammer 87/2 | 6 October | Northern England/Southern Scotland |
Priory 87/2 | 13–15 October | East Anglia/Lincolnshire/North East England/ Eastern Scotland |
Mallet Blow 87/3 | 2–6 November | Northern England/Borders |
Puple Warrior | 4–21 November | South West Scotland |
1988
| ||
Key Lift 88 | 5–13 March | North Yorkshire |
Mallet Blow 88/1 | 14–18 March | Northern England/Borders |
Red Lanyard | 9–12 April | Many areas with centre on Salisbury Plain |
Elder Forest 88 | 18–21 April | East Anglia/Lincolnshire/Northern England/ Eastern Scotland |
Hammer 88/1 | 10 May | Northern England/Southern Scotland |
OSEX 15 | 16–20 May | Wales |
Roaring Lion | 20–26 May | Many areas centred on Northumberland |
Central Enterprise | 6 June | East Anglia/Lincolnshire/Northern England/ Eastern Scotland |
Fast Buzzard | 13–24 July | Many areas centred on Salisbury Plain |
Mallet Blow 88/2 | 25–29 July | Northern England/Borders |
Green Lanyard | 1–8 October | Many areas with centre on South West Wales |
Elder Joust 88 | 4–6 October | East Anglia/Lincolnshire/North Eastern England/South Eastern Scotland |
Hammer 88/2 | 11-October | East Anglia/Northern England/Southern Scotland |
1989
| ||
Red Lanyard | 17–23 February | Many areas centred on Norfolk |
Mallet Blow 89/1 | 3–7 April | Northern England/Borders |
Salty Hammer 89 | 9 May | Northern England/Southern Scotland |
Equipment Trial | 25 April-19 May | Northern England/Borders |
OSEX 16 | 10–19 May | Wales |
Blue Lanyard 89 | 1–7 June | Many areas centred on Norfolk |
Roaring Lion | 11–26 July | Many areas centred on Salisbury Plain |
Mallet Blow 89/2 | 31 July-4 August | Northern England and Borders |
Elder Joust/Arc | 3–5 October | Many areas of United Kingdom |
Northern Crusade | 11–19 October | Many areas centred on Borders |
1990
| ||
Red Lanyard 1/90 | 21–28 March | Many areas centred on Norfolk |
Mallet Blow 90/1 | 26–30 March | Northern England and Borders |
Elder Forest | 23–27 April | Many areas of United Kingdom |
Stone Warrior | 12–24 May | South West England centred on Salisbury Plain |
Eagles Eye | 14–25 May | East Anglia |
Salty Hammer | 22 May | Northern England and Southern Scotland |
OSEX 90 | 2–13 July | Wales |
Red Lanyard 2/90 | 18–27 July | Many areas centred on South West Scotland and Norfolk |
Mallet Blow 90/2 | 30 July-3 August | Northern England and Borders |
Border fox | 17–21 September | Borders |
1991
| ||
Lanyard 2 | 4–12 March | Wales |
Elder Joust | 22–25 April | Northern England |
Joint Maritime Course | 30 May-8 June | South West England |
Highland Cardinal | 24–28 June | Wales |
OSEX | 1–5 July | Wales |
Mallet Blow | 15–19 July | Northumberland |
Elder Joust | 10–12 September | Scottish Borders |
North Star | 10–12 September | Scottish Borders |
1992
| ||
Elder Forest | 9–13 March | Northern England |
Teamwork | 9–13 March | Northern England |
Highland Cardinal | 11–15 May | Wales |
Salty Hammer | 12–13 May | Northern England |
Pegasus Fury | 12–28 May | Salisbury Plain |
OSEX | 18–22 May | Wales |
Joint Maritime Course | 2–11 June | Northern Scotland |
Lanyard 3 | 8–21 July | East Anglia |
Gryphon's Flight | 1–10 August | Salisbury Plain |
Northern Banner | 7–11 September | Northern England |
Winged Crusader | 1–14 October | Scottish Borders |
Joint Maritime Course | 2–16 November | Northern Scotland |
Salty Hammer | 4–5 November | Northern England |
Exercise name
| Exercise dates
| Exercise location
|
1993
| ||
Joint Maritime Course | 8–18 February | Northern Scotland |
Lanyard 4 | 17–25 February | East Anglia |
Northern Banner | 22–26 February | Northern England |
Exercise Mini Hammer | 3–4 March | Northumberland |
Gryphon's Lift | 21–28 April | East Anglia |
Lanyard 5 | 12–21 May | Northumberland |
1 Buccaneer, Harrier, Jaguar, Lightning, Phantom and Tornado. |