Recommendation 29

The Department told us why it had decided to purchase some A variants. The A variant can fly further for longer than the B variant, because it does not have the weight limitations that come with the ability of the B variant to do short take-off and landing on aircraft carriers and can carry extra fuel. The Department told us that the A variants will be routinely used on the training squadron, meaning that more training can be completed on each sortie and therefore pilots can be trained more quickly. The Department also noted that the dual nuclear weapons capability of the A variant will enable the UK to contribute to the NATO nuclear mission.63 The Department also told us that the A variant is 20% to 25% cheaper than the B variant, and slightly cheaper to support.64