Source · Select Committees · Public Accounts Committee
Recommendation 25
25
Deferred
Delays in F-35 aircraft delivery reduced fleet numbers with marginal cost impact
Conclusion
The Department told us that in 2010, facing a reduction in its budget, it chose to delay the delivery of some aircraft.52 This has reduced the number of aircraft available to the Department today.53 This was exacerbated by a further delay of seven aircraft by a year in 2020 for financial reasons.54 It is unclear whether the 2010 delay has caused increased costs since the increase in costs resulting from inflation may have been offset by a decreased unit cost of the aircraft over time.55 In correspondence provided after our evidence session, the Department stated that, in its view, the effect of delay was marginal if not cost neutral.56
Government Response Summary
The government is considering the long-term impacts of savings measures on costs and capability of all major programmes as part of the production of the forthcoming Defence Investment Plan.
Government Response
Deferred
HM Government
Deferred
The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation. Target implementation date: November 2027 5.2 As part of the production of the forthcoming Defence Investment Plan, the government is considering the long-term impacts of any savings measures on costs and capability of all major programmes. The Defence Investment Plan will prioritise spending across the whole Defence budget as voted to them by Parliament, and set out in the Spending Review settlement, to maximise value for money overall (not just in the F-35 programme). Further details will be published as part of the Defence Investment Plan.