Source · Select Committees · Defence Committee
Recommendation 12
12
Accepted
Commit to providing six-monthly updates on the availability of the A400M fleet
Conclusion
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 this report the MoD should commit to providing this Committee with six-monthly updates on the availability of the A400M fleet. (Paragraph 85) Flying Training
Government Response Summary
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.
Government Response
Accepted
HM Government
Accepted
Aviation Procurement: Winging It?: Government Response 7 In deciding to retire the C-130J Hercules, we understood there would be short-term and temporary drop in air mobility capacity, but can reassure the Committee that all critical operational commitments have—and are—being met, and will continue to be so. As we set out in both our written and oral evidence, the Atlas A400M is a versatile aircraft carrying out a full range of air mobility tasks. Following the DCP 2021, the long-planned transfer of capability from C130 to Atlas was accelerated, and the RAF is working at pace to ensure the military effect delivered by the C130 is either replicated through A400M or delivered in a different way as soon as possible. Recent operations, including Op POLARBEAR, demonstrated the A400M’s worth: in the evacuation of Sudan, Atlas and C130 worked together, but there were no elements undertaken by C130 that could not be delivered by Atlas and, with its greater speed, power and lift capacity, Atlas was able to evacuate a significantly greater number of personnel than C130, getting them from Sudan to the agreed safe location in a safer and more timely manner. Atlas availability is improving, but remains under close and focused senior attention in the RAF and DE&S to ensure this continues. We would be happy to provide the Committee with regular updates, if the committee would find such an update useful. Given we already provide six monthly updates on the F-35 programme, we would propose to combine the two. Flying Training