Select committee: Defence Committee
Recommendation 17
Tenth Report - Aviation Procurement: Winging it?
Published 10 Sep 2023
Addressed to Ministry of Defence
Defence Committee Aviation Procurement All items in this report Report on parliament.uk ↗ Inquiry on parliament.uk ↗
Recommendation (the committee's words)
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 live flying training, with particular regard to the implications for ground crew and engineers, and the increased need for Aviation Procurement: Winging it? 43 warfighting readiness in view of the European security situation. The MoD should also ensure that the proposed mix is broadly in alignment with the approach taken across NATO. (Paragraph 111)
From: Defence Committee, Tenth Report - Aviation Procurement: Winging it? (HC 178), 10 September 2023
Government response
The government responded to the whole report on 14 November 2023 (deadline 10 November 2023).
Summary written by Accountability Index from the government's response. It is not the government's own words.The Ministry of Defence "rejects the Committee's central assertion" that the UK's air capability leaves it "dangerously exposed", while responding to individual recommendations with a mix of acknowledgement, explanation and conditional commitments.
- On the F-35, the government will "consider again in the mid-2020s the F-35 fleet size as part of the next Strategic Defence Review", including the best variant (A or B). It acknowledges concerns on technician numbers but rejects that the shortfall was "inexcusable".
- On Tranche 1 Typhoons, it does not support mothballing: retaining them would need investment "in excess of £300 million (and potentially much more)" and would preclude planned component harvesting.
- On Wedgetail, it "accept[s] there is some increased risk" to sovereign and NATO commitments from cutting the fleet from five to three aircraft, but says this was factored in. It will "keep decisions on the appropriate size of our force under review".
- On reporting, it "would be happy to provide" updates on A400M availability and pilot holding numbers "if the committee would find such an update useful". It does not commit to a full review of flying training contracts, citing "limited benefit", but is conducting a "targeted review" of incentive structures.