Source · Select Committees · Defence Committee
Tenth Report - Aviation Procurement: Winging it?
Defence Committee
HC 178
Published 10 September 2023
Government response
Second Special Report - Aviation Procurement: Winging It?: Government Response to the Committee’s Tenth Report of Session 2022–2023 · published 14 Nov 2023
Recommendations & Conclusions
3
Conclusion
Deferred
Para 35
F-35 fleet expansion faces high costs, slow growth, and unresolved deployment questions
Conclusion
Increasing the UK’s F-35 fleet beyond the 74 aircraft already planned would be one way to address the combat air capability gap, and this was an approach supported by several of our witnesses. However, although acquisition costs for the aircraft …
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Government Response Summary
The government states it will procure a further 27 F-35 aircraft by the early 2030s and will consider increasing the overall fleet size in the mid-2020s as part of the next Strategic Defence Review. It also states it has adapted plans to increase F-35 maintainer numbers by 20% to improve resilience.
Ministry of Defence
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9
Conclusion
Deferred
Para 60
Implement without delay recommendations from recent report on systemic procurement issues
Conclusion
Whilst the E-7 is undoubtedly a capable aircraft, its procurement has been a woeful but depressingly familiar story of MoD failings and contractor underperformance combining to deliver a programme over time and over budget. Our recent report on defence procurement …
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Government Response Summary
The government has deflected this recommendation by stating it has responded separately to the Defence Sub-Committee’s report on Defence Procurement.
Ministry of Defence
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