Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what his policy is on the maintenance of a surface to surface missile capability for Royal Navy ships; when the Harpoon missile is due to be withdrawn; when that missile's replacement will be ready to enter service; and for what reason there is no plan to fill the capability gap between those two events.
The Royal Navy continuously reviews the capabilities required to deliver its tasking. As part of this process the Navy is working alongside other areas of the Ministry of Defence to consider options for Harpoon replacement when it goes out of service in 2018.
All Royal Navy ships carry a range of offensive and defensive weapons systems, but it would be inappropriate to comment on the details and capabilities of specific weapons systems carried by each of our ships as such disclosure would, or would be likely to, prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of the Armed Forces.