26. The details of these decisions remain to be worked out. Discussions will be opened immediately with the Council of Territorial, Auxiliary and Volunteer Reserve Associations and with the Associations themselves. The new units will be established in T. & A.V.R. Group 'A' and their members will have the same call-out liability and dress as those in existing Group 'A' units. The training requirement (and hence the training obligation) for units other than the armoured car regiment has not yet been decided in detail, but it might be somewhat less. The expansion will be gradual; an uncommitted reserve of around 10,000 men is initially planned. The Government is confident that there will be a vigorous response from those who would like to devote some of their spare time to voluntary service for the defence of the community.
ROYAL AIR FORCE
27. The two most pressing problems of the Royal Air Force are:
(1) the gap in tactical strike reconnaissance capability;
(2) a general shortage of front-line aircraft, both for combat and support,
particularly in Germany.
Multi-Role Combat Aircraft
28. For tactical strike and reconnaissance especially, the Multi-Role Combat Aircraft is planned to meet future needs and to form a major part of the front- line strength of the Royal Air Force. The Government announced in July its decision to enter upon the initial stage of development with the German Govern- ment. The Italian Government's recent confirmation that it will continue to participate in the project is most welcome. This is an important example of European co-operation in defence procurement.
Jaguar Close Support Aircraft
29. There is a particular shortage of close support aircraft. The Memoran- dum of Understanding with the French Government envisages production of 200 Jaguar supersonic aircraft for each country. Development of the aircraft is proceeding well and initial production orders have been placed. It was intended that the Royal Air Force should take two versions of the aircraft: a single-seat operational version which would replace the Phantom in the close support rôle when the Phantom takes over the air defence task from the Lightning in the mid-1970s, and a twin-seat trainer to replace the Gnat and the Hunter for the advanced training of pilots who will fly fast jet aircraft. A searching review has been made of flying training plans with the aim of releasing resources to strengthen the front line while maintaining the essential high standards of training.
30. In the light of this review the Government has decided:
(1) to replace the Gnat and the Hunter with a new jet trainer less sophisti-
cated and less expensive than the Jaguar;
(2) to increase, within the total purchase of Jaguar aircraft for the Royal Air Force, the numbers to be built of the operational version in order to augment the Jaguar front-line, as currently planned, by four squad-
rons.
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