Air force: supply of Canberra bombers and supply of Lightning interceptors

This file contains correspondence relating to:

• Sale of Canberra bomber aircraft by the British Aircraft Corporation (BAC) to Saudi Arabia and the background to reasons for refusal of an export licence. It includes discussion of Anglo-American approaches to arms sales in the Middle East (41)
• Details of the military aircraft that are of interest to Saudi Arabia (42)
• Possibility of routeing a British Overseas Airways Corporation trial flight of a VC10 via Jedda [Jeddah] rather than Khartoum because a prestige call might boost the relationship between Saudi Arabia and British aircraft manufacturers (43)
• Question of whether any British aircraft are comparable to the fighter bombers that the US Government was proposing to make available to the Saudis (44)
• Agreement in principle by the Foreign Office for the supply of Lightning bombers from the British Aircraft Corporation to Saudi Arabia, providing BAC does not mislead the Saudi government over delivery dates or other details (45-46)
• Minutes of an Arms Working Party meeting held on 3 December 1963 about the supply of Lightning aircraft, Canberra aircraft and air-to-air missiles to Saudi Arabia and competition with the US (47)
• Note on the performance of certain bomber aircraft (Canberra B2, F5A Freedom Fighter and English Electric Lightning Mk 2) in the Saudi Arabian context (48)
• Enquiry by the Saudi Minister of Defence as to whether HMG will licence the export of Lightning aircraft if Saudi Arabia decide to buy them and Omar Saqqaf's views on Saudi requirements (49)