PM gives Soviet planes a miss
The Prime Minister carefully avoided snubbing the large Soviet presence at the Farnborough Air Show yesterday, but Mr Michael Heseltine, Secretary of State for Defence, was less diplomatic.
Commenting on Soviet hopes of making aerospace technology transfer deals with Britain. Mr Heseltine said: “It is very difficult to see how you can have technological cooperation with a nation which just poses the major threat that we face.
“Obviously, in an ideal world, we would like to get a much better relationship with the Soviet Union, but until that happens I don't think that we can be in any way dependent on them for the defence equipment upon which we rely.”
Mrs Margaret Thatcher, who spent about five hours touring the show and watching the air display with her husband, was driven slowly past a Soviet airliner on show and looked intently at the big Mi-26 helicopter, the largest in the world. But she did not stop.
She said she was pleased with the excellent work of British Aerospace companies. She made clear she had not ignored the Russians who are exhibiting at Farnborough for the first time, but wanted to devote her visit to the British contingent. Mrs Thatcher was accompanied by Sir Raymond Lygo, president of the Society of British Aerospace Companies and managing director of British Aerospace. Among the aircraft she visited were the Firecracker, the only British-designed competitor in the race to win the order for the next RAF trainer.
Mr Thatcher also looked at the BAe 146 jet, a new version of which was announced this week, and the Belfast-made Short's aircraft. She met M Jacques Mitterrand, head of the French Aerospatial company, and Senator Barrie Goldwater, said by his entourage to be representing the United States President.
The Society of British Aerospace Companies said earlier that it had no plans to change arrangements for visitors after Tuesday's crash of a de Havilland Buffalo at the show. The aircraft was badly damaged and debris damaged the public side of the safety fence. Several other aircraft and a car were also damaged. The crew were unhurt.