***** 10/9
Hong Kong Department,
18 February, 1969
(146) on 1.5-HWA 10/4
14
GUD/E,
Under cover of his letter IMB 10/9 or 19 July, 1968, Heath Mason sent you a copy of the study on the feasibility of maintaining a small Hunter fighter force in Hong Kong, which had beon carried out by tho Air Force Department of the Ministry of Defence. He montioned in his letter that the Chiefs of Staff, when approving in June 1968 the conclusions reached in the study had given instructions that the Commandor-in-Chief, Far East, should carry out a further and moze dotalled exeminetion of the matter to determine a precise breakdown of responsibilities na between the R.A.F., the Hong Kong Auxiliary Air Force and the Hong Kong Aircraft Engineering Corporation in maintaining and operating the proposed fighter forco.
2. This latter exercico was carried out in consultation with you Dofonce Secretary, the staff of the Commander British Forces, Hong Kong, the Officer Commanding, R.A.F. Kal Tak and the General Managon of the Hong Kong Aircraft Engineering Corporation.
It woo completed in September 1968. You will recall that it considered two alternativo” schemes (A) and (B) and that it recommended the adoption of scheme (B), which made minimal use of backing by the Auxiliary Air Force, In putting forward hia report the C. in C. Far East mentioned that both you and CBB supported the adoption of achomo (B).
3. The above examination included the compilation of estimated comparative coats for the two echomeo, but those estimates related only to local costa and the exomination was intended to enable the Ministry of Defence to completo the exercise by working out in full the total estimated costs of operating the proposed fighter unit. This the Ministry of Defence have now done and I enclose a copy of the relevant extracts from their Report,
4. You will seo that tho total recurrent costs of scheme (B) havo bacn estimated at £335,000 per annum. This figure reprosento tho total annual operating costs, including all local costo, of a detachment of Five Huntera with three in poporve. Although thero 10 no direct reference in the enclosure to thie letter to the question of how long the Hunter unit would be retained in Hong Kong, the Chiefe of Staff have previously etated that from the point of view of puroly military and technical considerations, the unit might be Gustained until about 1975, by which time the situation would have to be roviewad, (Paragraph 6 of the preliminary feasibility otudy atated that "where technical consideratione are concerned the averaje ilunter mainplano fatiguo life would enable the aircraft to continue in service until 1974/75.")
1110 Excellency
Sir David Trench, GONG.. MC.
bu one match
I told Mr Whitmors
/ 5.
HWBIN/9/16 today that we had written to
the Erwonor about 8.
SECRET
AMD 19.2.69