Attempt to gather aircraft secrets

Press, 9 May 1983, Page 10

Attempt to gather aircraft secrets

NZPA-Reuter London British and West German Intelligence services have uncovered Soviet attempts to obtain secrets about a new West European military aircraft, according to a British newspaper. The “Sunday Telegraph” reports that a former West German N.A.T.O. officer and his woman secretary had been intensively investigated over possible links

with the Soviet Union. It did not name them. The secrets concerned the multi-role Tornado aircraft, developed by Britain, Italy and West Germany to form the backbone of their air forces. The newspaper said that no action was taken against the West German officer, who is retired, or his secretary, and a report on the inquiry had been sent to the British Defence Min-

istry. There was no immediate comment by the Ministry on the report, which quoted Government sources as saying that they were confident that British technology had not been compromised. The investigation focused on the Munich headquarters of Panavia, the three-nation consortium building ■ the Tornado, and inquiries went back to the start of the project 15 years ago.