Hansard

Armed Forces: Helicopters

Volume 686: debated on Wednesday 1 November 2006

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Lord Astor of Hever

asked Her Majesty's Government:

How many Sea King helicopters are held in long-term storage at HMS “Sultan”; and what steps are being taken to make them deployable.[HL7796]

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Ministry of Defence
(Lord Drayson)

There are 36 Sea King helicopters at HMS “Sultan”. None of them are in an airworthy state. Of these, 20 are currently being used for ground instructional training purposes and a further 14 are pending possible sale or regeneration. The long-term future of these 34 aircraft is dependent upon the lift advanced concept phase (LACP) study that is reviewing the future medium lift capability required by the Armed Forces. There is one Sea King aircraft at “Sultan” that is held as a potential attrition reserve and one that is not repairable.