Recommendations & Conclusions
13 items
1
Conclusion
Tenth Report - Aviation Procurement: Wi…
Accepted
With the prospect of UK involvement in a major war on the European continent closer than it has been for decades, there are serious questions as to whether the UK’s reduced combat air fleet still provides a sufficient deterrent and whether its limited numbers of admittedly highly capable aircraft could …
Government response. The government asserts that its current combat air fleet, reinforced by investments from the 2021/2023 Defence Command Paper and its contribution to NATO, already provides a sufficient deterrent and warfighting capability. It argues that effectiveness is not solely determined by …
Ministry of Defence
4
Conclusion
Tenth Report - Aviation Procurement: Wi…
Accepted
The MoD must be transparent and realistic about the eventual size of the F-35 fleet, recognising that the planned deferral of this decision to the middle of this decade will damage the ability of UK industry to maintain an ongoing production capacity for combat air, and should also make clear …
Government response. The government confirms Tranche 1 (48 aircraft by 2025) and Tranche 2 (27 aircraft, early next decade) purchases, and will consider the eventual F-35 fleet size and variant choice in the mid-2020s as part of the next Strategic Defence Review. …
Ministry of Defence
6
Conclusion
Tenth Report - Aviation Procurement: Wi…
Accepted
Uncrewed Aerial Systems (UAS) offer a cost-effective means of increasing combat mass. As we identified in our 2021 report “We’re Going to Need a Bigger Navy”, the role of UAS within the force mix on the UK’s aircraft carriers remains unresolved. This may have implications for decisions around the eventual …
Government response. The RAF has completed its Autonomous Collaborative Platforms (ACP) Strategy, which includes ambitious, time-bounded targets for delivery of air vehicles and key technology enablers, and will publish it in the near future. The strategy will focus on delivering ultra low-cost …
Ministry of Defence
7
Conclusion
Tenth Report - Aviation Procurement: Wi…
Accepted
With only a limited number of (comparatively vulnerable) fixed and mobile land- based radars on UK soil, all of which would be primary targets for our opponents were the current Ukraine conflict to escalate, the capability gap in Airborne Early Warning & Control coverage created by the retirement of the …
Government response. The government states that the Wedgetail programme, with a £2 billion procurement and further £2 billion sustainment investment, will provide a step change in Airborne Early Warning and Control capability. It acknowledges an increased risk during the transition but prioritises …
Ministry of Defence
10
Recommendation
Tenth Report - Aviation Procurement: Wi…
Accepted
The Ukraine war has underlined the importance of a thriving and resilient domestic defence industry. The Government must ensure that where it buys equipment off- the-shelf, it demands meaningful and sustainable investment in the UK from contractors in return, and holds them rigorously to account for fulfilling their pledges. (Paragraph …
Government response. The government states it already applies the Cabinet Office Social Value Model to all in-scope competitive procurements to ensure contractor investment in the UK. It also actively engages with industry to de-risk critical defence supply chain vulnerabilities and identifies critical …
Ministry of Defence
11
Conclusion
Tenth Report - Aviation Procurement: Wi…
Accepted
One of the most significant cuts in the Defence Command paper was the early retirement of the C-130J Hercules fleet some seven years before its planned out-of- service date. Our witnesses were almost unanimously critical of this decision, which has significantly reduced the overall capacity of the air mobility fleet, …
Government response. The government acknowledges a short-term drop in air mobility capacity due to the C-130J Hercules retirement but states critical operational commitments are being met by accelerating the transfer of capability to the Atlas A400M. It offers regular updates on the …
Ministry of Defence
12
Conclusion
Tenth Report - Aviation Procurement: Wi…
Accepted
The RAF has been left scrambling to migrate essential capabilities onto the A400M Atlas and will be reliant on this aircraft which, however capable it may be on paper, has a poor track record of reliability. We intend to closely scrutinise the performance of the A400M. In its response to …
Government response. The government agrees to provide regular updates on the availability of the A400M fleet, proposing to combine them with the existing six-monthly F-35 programme updates.
Ministry of Defence
13
Conclusion
Tenth Report - Aviation Procurement: Wi…
Accepted
Flying training is undoubtedly complex. Air Chief Marshal Sir Richard Knighton observed that “if you take your eye off it for a moment, it can get out of the tolerances that you set” and it is clear to us that for too long, the senior leadership of the RAF has …
Government response. The government acknowledges delays in pilot training and has taken concerted action with industry to rectify Hawk engine availability issues. It has also reinforced leadership of pilot training at a 3-star level and created a quarterly Aircrew Pipeline Steering Group, …
Ministry of Defence
14
Conclusion
Tenth Report - Aviation Procurement: Wi…
Accepted
The former Chief of the Air Staff told us that current delays will be resolved by mid-2024, and we will hold the MoD and the RAF’s senior leadership accountable for delivering on that promise. In its response to this report, and then on a quarterly basis to the end of …
Government response. The government agrees to provide regular updates to the Committee on pilot holding numbers within the flying training pipeline, stating they are committed to reducing these to optimum levels.
Ministry of Defence
15
Recommendation
Tenth Report - Aviation Procurement: Wi…
Accepted
Changes to the number of frontline seats are a routine feature of Defence reviews. Whilst they will unavoidably have some impact on the training pipeline, this must be managed so that any consequential backlogs are minimal. A flying training model which cannot adapt to changed crewing requirements without introducing years …
Government response. The government is introducing initiatives to increase flying training flexibility, including significant capacity improvements in synthetic training and a live-virtual construct. The UK also joined the NATO Flying Training Europe (NFTE) initiative in October 2023 to pool training resources with …
Ministry of Defence
16
Recommendation
Tenth Report - Aviation Procurement: Wi…
Accepted
Fast-jet training in particular has suffered a significant reduction in capacity due to a lack of aircraft availability. As a result, the MoD will spend over £55 million sending pilots overseas for training whilst the contractors responsible will face no financial penalty, a farcical situation which only underlines the requirement …
Government response. The government declined a full review, stating that existing contractual arrangements are already subject to regular amendments and refinements. It confirmed it is already conducting a targeted review of the incentive structure within the existing contractual framework.
Ministry of Defence
17
Recommendation
Tenth Report - Aviation Procurement: Wi…
Accepted
Synthetic training offers many benefits, but live flying cannot be replaced, and we are concerned that the RAF’s stated intention for 80% of flying training to be synthetic by 2040 will be sub-optimal for both pilots and ground crew. The MoD should review the planned 80/20 mix of synthetic and …
Government response. The government stated it is not planning an 80/20 synthetic to live flying training mix, explaining that the optimal balance is constantly reviewed and varies by platform. It also affirmed that the needs of RAF technicians are under continuous review …
Ministry of Defence
19
Conclusion
Tenth Report - Aviation Procurement: Wi…
Accepted
Although these risks were acknowledged in the Defence Command Paper Refresh (DCPR), the actions taken to address them are totally inadequate to the scale of the challenge. The DCPR stands as a missed opportunity to reverse the deeply damaging cuts of 2021: the Royal Air Force, as with all our …
Government response. The government defends its current funding allocation for Defence, citing a £24 billion increase over four years, and asserts that the RAF is being modernised and transformed through existing investment to remain capable for current and future threats.
Ministry of Defence