Asked by: Douglas Ross (Conservative - Moray)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment his Department has made of the effect on the local economy in Moray constituency of (a) spending and (b) investment by (i) his Department and (ii) the armed forces since 2015.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Ministry of Defence's (MOD) over-riding priority is to provide national security for the UK as a whole and its extensive regional footprint exists to provide UK national security.
Spending or investment decisions are appraised on the basis of costs and benefits to UK society overall irrespective of the location of the expenditure, as required by HM Treasury Green Book.
The department does not routinely undertake assessments of the effect of national spending or investment decisions on local economies.
MOD Regional Expenditure with UK Industry and Commerce and Supported Employment is published at the Government Office Regional level as a National Statistic at the following link:
https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/774871/Finance_and_economics_annual_statistical_bulletin_201718.pdf
Asked by: Douglas Ross (Conservative - Moray)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
What progress is being made on the delivery to the UK of the Poseidon MRA Mk1 (P-8A) aircraft.
Answered by Lord Lancaster of Kimbolton
Initial build of the first UK aircraft is complete. Painted in RAF livery, its first flight is scheduled for later this week. Delivery, as the RAF’s first P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft, is expected in October. Manufacture of the second aircraft, for delivery in January 2020, is under way.
The first two aircrew courses have graduated and engineering training is ongoing. Construction of support infrastructure at RAF Lossiemouth is also continuing apace, so significant progress is being made.
Asked by: Douglas Ross (Conservative - Moray)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 15 January 2019 to Question 206022 on European Aircraft: safety measures, how the mandatory requirement, based on industrial standards and internationally agreed definitions, for the Typhoon aircraft to be compliant with Part 13 sub paragraph 1.1.9.1 of MAA/Def Stan 00-970 (Aircraft Collision Avoidance System) is satisfied.
Answered by Stuart Andrew - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 15 January 2019 to Question 206022 and to the answer I gave him on 9 November 2018 to question 189831.
Asked by: Douglas Ross (Conservative - Moray)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how the mandatory requirement, based on industrial standards and internationally agreed definitions, for the F35 Lightening aircraft to be compliant with Part 13 sub paragraph 1.1.9.1 of MAA/Def Stan 00-970 (Aircraft Collision Avoidance System) is satisfied.
Answered by Stuart Andrew - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The safety of the F-35 air system is a primary requirement for the UK programme. At the time the F-35 undertook initial certification with the Military Aviation Authority, Def Stan 00-970 Part 13, sub-para 1.1.9.1 was not applicable. The UK is, however, working with the US to develop an automated Air Collision Avoidance System for the F-35. Prior to this integration, we remain fully confident that the F-35's advanced situational awareness enables it to operate safely.
Asked by: Douglas Ross (Conservative - Moray)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 19 November 2018 to Question 189831 on European Aircraft: safety measures, what the timeframe is for the Typhoon aircraft to be compliant with Part 13 sub paragraph 1.1.9.1 of MAA/Def Stan 00-970 (Aircraft Collision Avoidance System).
Answered by Stuart Andrew - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The Typhoon Enhanced Collision Awareness System (ECAS) will enter service with the United Kingdom's Typhoon fleet later this year. Typhoon ECAS is a collision awareness system. As such, it is not required to comply with Def Stan 00-970 Part 13 sub paragraph 1.1.9.1 and there are no current plans for it to do so.
Asked by: Douglas Ross (Conservative - Moray)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the tAIRPROX report No. 2018061, whether the Typhoon Enhanced Collision Awareness System will provide situation awareness of all aircraft that may be in the vicinity.
Answered by Stuart Andrew - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The Typhoon Enhanced Collision Awareness System (ECAS) will exploit all aircraft sensors, including the aircraft radar, to provide the best possible situational awareness of aircraft that may be in the vicinity. In the case of AIRPROX report No. 2018061, the existing Typhoon aircraft radar indicated the presence of traffic and one of the Hawks was visually identified by the crew. Consequently, the overall risk of collision was assessed to be low. However, it is assessed that ECAS would have provided the crew with additional situational awareness of the Hawks in the vicinity of the two Typhoons.
Asked by: Douglas Ross (Conservative - Moray)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 19 November 2018 to Question 189831 on European Fighter Aircraft: Safety Measures, and with reference to Regulatory Article 1205 para 1b, on what basis the operating duty holder's tolerable and ALARP safety statement for the Typhoon aircraft is made when considering the mid-air collision risk.
Answered by Stuart Andrew - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The requirements of Regulatory Article (RA) 1205 para 1b are fully met as part of the Operating duty holder's Tolerable and ALARP safety statement consideration of mid-air collision risk.
The Typhoon Safety Case explicitly states what is Reasonably Practicable and Tolerable in terms of fitment of Collision Warning Systems and the other systems detailed in RA1205 for this platform. The RA states that the 'Collision Warning System' term is intentionally used to allow flexibility in identifying the optimal solution for platforms, including those currently under development.
Asked by: Douglas Ross (Conservative - Moray)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 11 June 2018 to Question 149024, whether the planned Enhanced Collision Awareness System (ECAS) for the Typhoon aircraft is compliant with MAA/Def Stan 00-970 (Aircraft Collision Avoidance System), Part 13 sub paragraph 1.1.9.1, in particular Resolution Awareness.
Answered by Stuart Andrew - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The Typhoon Enhanced Collision Awareness is a collision awareness system rather than a collision avoidance system, and is not required to comply with Def Stan 00-970, part 13, sub-paragraph 1.1.9.1 (Aircraft Collision Avoidance System).
Asked by: Douglas Ross (Conservative - Moray)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the answer of 29 May 2018 to Question 146325 on European Fighter Aircraft: Safety Measures, how the Typhoon’s Enhanced Collision Awareness System will meet the requirement for an independent Airborne Collision Avoidance System.
Answered by Guto Bebb
The Ministry of Defence requirement is to reduce the risk of mid-air collision. The Enhanced Collision Awareness System will meet this by enhancing the pilot's situational awareness of collision threats when in congested airspace, enabling appropriate action to be taken and providing additional protection for Typhoon pilots.
Asked by: Douglas Ross (Conservative - Moray)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 29 May 2018 to Question 146960 on European Fighter Aircraft, what proportion of the £45 million has been assigned to the installation of the the Enhanced Collision Awareness System.
Answered by Guto Bebb
The installation of stage one of the Enhanced Collision Awareness System (ECAS) onto Typhoon is part of a package of capability enhancements. As further enhancements will be contracted for in due course, I am withholding the current cost of the ECAS installation as disclosure would prejudice commercial interests in future competitions for similar work.