Source · Select Committees · Defence Committee
Recommendation 2
2
Rejected
Paragraph: 22
Increase combat air mass urgently to address the short-term capability gap
Conclusion
The RAF’s combat aircraft fleet now provides a boutique high capability: it lacks numerical depth and has an inadequate attrition reserve. Exquisite capability has its place, but in a peer-on-peer conflict such as a shooting war with Russia, every airframe will count. Combat aircraft numbers are already low. The Defence Command Paper cuts will create a combat air capability gap which, on current plans, will persist well into the 2030s. This is unacceptable. The MoD and RAF must consider as a matter of urgency how they can increase combat air mass in the short term.
Government Response Summary
The government rejects the need to increase combat air mass, arguing that effectiveness is not solely judged by numbers, and current investment in capabilities like Typhoon and F-35B, along with NATO contributions, provides sufficient deterrent capability.
Paragraph Reference:
22
Government Response
Rejected
HM Government
Rejected
Defence is threat-led, and decisions on the UK’s combat air mass will always be determined by the threats we face, now and in the future, with major decisions routinely taken as part of strategic defence reviews. Decisive hard power and the ability and readiness to fly and fight are essential parts of being able to operate and deter. As we set out in our written and oral evidence, however, in a world of multi-domain operations, effectiveness should not be judged solely by numbers of people or platforms; the conflict in Ukraine has further reinforced that competitive advantage does not always stem from mass alone. The decisions taken in the 2021 DCP, reinforced in the refresh in 2023, ensured investment will be directed to capabilities that will endure and provide relevance well into the next decade. While the F-35B Lightning fleet continues to grow in parallel, RAF Typhoon will remain the backbone of the combat air fighting force. Its newest 40 Tranche 3 aircraft will be equipped with the advanced ‘European Common Radar System 2’ which will enhance survivability and lethality, not only for the platform itself, but for other co-operating UK and allied force elements. The multi-role capabilities of Typhoon mean that it can be employed concurrently in both air-air and air-surface roles that would previously have required multiple platforms to conduct. Working as a force multiplier with other Typhoons and combat air platforms, by suppressing enemy air defences and achieving control of the air, it will enable operational effectiveness for the wider force. Typhoon and our growing F-35B Lightning fleet work in tandem, enabling their strengths to be multiplied and ensuring both 4th and 5th generation combat aircraft are integrated seamlessly, using each other’s impressive capabilities to maximise survivability and lethality. Moreover, when it comes to ‘mass’ it should be remembered that we are a leading member of NATO, and do not stand alone in countering the threats we face, making a significant contribution to a vast NATO-wide combat air force, and will continue to do so.