W(B)L 51-7433
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Registry No.
SECURITY CLASSIFICATION
Top Secret.
Secret.
Confidential.
Restricted.
Unclassified.
PRIVACY MARKING
..In Confidence
DRAFT
To:-
Type 1 +
From
Telephone No. & Ext.
Department
(9) this file
6. The figure of £335,000 does not include
any element in respect of the capital cost of
the eight aircraft. The Ministry of Defence
have stated that were the aircraft not needed
for Hong Kong, they would in 1970 become
surplus to our requirements and in the normal
course would be sold back to Hawker Siddeley for
refurbishment and re-sale to overseas customers.
There is, apparently, a great demand abroad at
the present time for second-hand Hunters
(e.g. from Singapore) and we are under constant
political pressure to make them available from
RAF sources. The Ministry of Defence estimate
that they would receive from Hawker Siddeley a
total of £300,000 (and not £280,000 as stated in
the enclosed report) for the eight aircraft.
However, rather more than half of this sum would
have to be paid over to the United States
Government under off-shore purchase arrangements
but the balance of about £140,000 would be
recovered by the Ministry; and stationing the
Hunters in Hong Kong would mean that Defence
votes would forego this sum unless reimbursed.
7. The Ministry propose that the Hunter
detachment should be established in Hong Kong in
March, 1970, the date when the Hunter Squadron
in FEAF is due to disband. The aircraft would
then be simply redeployed from Singapore to
Hong Kong and the expense of returning them to
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