Originally Posted by
Easy Street
One word: manpower. The RAF and Navy are both struggling with their numbers caps, and the stove-piping of single-service budgets under the Levene reforms (and the politics around Army numbers) means that the obvious solution of transferring some of the Army’s unfilled positions to the other services is not possible. The P8 and additional Typhoon squadrons promised in SDSR15 are therefore dependent upon manpower currently tied up in the Tornado Force, and so retirement of Tornado is an essential prerequisite for these important growth plans.
Mothballing Tornado wouldn’t work either as the engineers would still be needed for anti-det maintenance.
Thank you ES. Confirms my point. What a ridiculous way to run the defence of one of the richest countries. I thought that the majority of the maintenance and support of Tornado was by BAE (Attac) and RR (ROCET) for the engine. Moreover with F35 so late what about the manpower that should have been working on that programme.
As they say - shame to ruin the ship for a hapeth of tar....