UK urged to acquire new maritime patrol aircraft

With only a few months to go before the results of its latest Strategic Defence and Security Review (SDSR) will be announced, the UK government is facing fresh calls to reinstate its military's lapsed maritime patrol aircraft capability.

Responding to questions in the House of Lords on 4 June, minister of state Earl Howe said the forthcoming SDSR is "the right point to look again at the requirement for a maritime patrol aircraft".

A two-and-a-half-year study has already been conducted, which he says has allowed the Ministry of Defence "to understand better the nature of the platforms in existence, as well as the timeframe in which novel technologies are likely to mature".

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