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LONDON | Mon Nov 1, 2010 2:31am GMT
LONDON (Reuters) - Britain is considering selling a fleet of fighter jets it can no longer afford to fly, a government minister was quoted as saying on Monday.
In an interview with the Financial Times, defence equipment minister Peter Luff said that some of the items axed in the government's recent cuts in defence spending, including the Nimrod MRA4 reconnaissance aircraft, would find a home abroad.
"I don't want them to feel as if they are being bounced. But we are looking at the options quite carefully at the moment," Luff said.
India is the most likely purchaser of the Harrier, according to the newspaper, while the United States could buy the planes to supplement its fleet used by the Marine Corps.
Last month, Prime Minister David Cameron set out the conclusions of Britain's first review of its armed forces since 1988, detailing cuts to the defence budget, manpower, equipment and strategic capability.
Contractual obligations meant the government had to retain two previously ordered aircraft carriers, although Britain will not have combat jets to fly from them for some 10 years.
Luff said there were overseas markets, particularly for the Harrier, but that he did not want to "speculate about the market."
(Reporting by Karolina Tagaris)
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