2FTS Statement
'The 2016 relaunch of Air Cadet Gliding stated we would operate up to 15 Vigilant powered gliders with an Out of Service Date (OSD) of October 2019, 6 having been recovered already. The recovery of remaining 9 Vigilant aircraft relied on an innovative recovery proposal from Grob Aircraft SE. This is no longer an option. The removal of this option, challenging technical support for 2 fleets, and low Vigilant availability mean that continued operation of Vigilant is no longer considered viable. Consequently, we will withdraw the Vigilant glider fleet from service immediately, bringing forward its planned OSD. The Topcliffe VGS will convert to the Viking aircraft earlier than originally planned. This approach will free up engineers and allow the glider engineering enterprise to focus solely on the safe recovery and operation of the Viking fleet.
Comdt 2FTS’
My reading of the announcement from Comdt 2 FTS is that 6 of the planned 15 aircraft had been recovered but that there was no longer a recovery option for a further 9 and therefore the Vigilant fleet was to be taken out of service to concentrate resources on the Viking fleet. If that is the case the RAF appear to have 6 perfectly serviceable Vigilant aircraft for disposal. What the announcement does not explicitly say is whether Grob withdrew their "innovative proposal" or whether it was rejected by the RAF for reasons of safety or cost. Wouldn't it be nice to know which!!