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(THIS DOCUMENT IS THE PROPERTY OF HER BRITANNIC ILAJESTY'S GOVERNMENT)
CABINET
DEFENCE AND OVERSEA POLICY COMMITTEE
COPY NO.
39
CONFIDENTIAL ANNEX
OPD(67) 32nd MEETING, ITEM 1
TUESDAY, 10th OCTOBER 1967 AT 11.15 am.
THE SPEY/PHANTOM
(Previous Reference: OPD(66) 33rd Meeting, Item 2)
THE DEFENCE SECRETARY said that serious problems were being
encountered in the development of the Rolls Royce Spey engine and the Ferranti navigation/attack system which we had decided to incorporate
in the Phantom aircraft that we were purchasing from McDonnells, the
United States aircraft manufacturers. As regards the Spey engine, the
production programme was six months behind schedule and development
difficulties involving a loss of performance had arisen in the re-heat system of the engine similar to those which had been encountered in the American engines for the F 111 and the United States version of the Phantom. Rolls Royce were confident that these difficulties could be overcome and hoped to be able to demonstrate this by the end of November, by which time we should know how much of the loss of performance could
be recovered. Provided that Rolls Royce succeeded in solving the development problems as they expected, it would be possible to fit engines to the aircraft on the production line and ferry them to this country,
in which event no additional costs would be involved. But it would
still mean that we should have to accept that early aircraft would be
fitted with engines below specification which would have to be modified
retrospectively.
The problems that had arisen on the Ferranti navigation/attack system
were more serious; the development programme for this equipment had
slipped by a year in its first two years and there were signs that it
might slip even further. This would mean that half of the aircraft
that we had ordered would be delivered without a system which was essential
for operations. It had been decided that a similar system which was to
have been incorporated in the Jaguar aircraft should be replaced by an
equipment produced by Elliotts but that the Ferranti equipment should be
used in the Harrier since this aircraft would come into service later.
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