It looks like the Sunday Times has, ahem, 'obtained' a copy of the review outcome. It makes tough reading for the RAF. I don't have a subscription so am summarising from a paper copy:
- 11 crewed ISTAR platforms to go... Islander and Sentinel both retired
- Royal Flight 146s to be replaced with (unnamed) leased aircraft
- C130J to go
- E7 numbers cut from 5 to 3, with a 2-3 year gap between it and E3
- 24 'older' Typhoons (presumably the Tranche 1s) retired early
- 45 transport helicopters ('41% of the fleet') to go
- No more F35s *at all*
- Investment in Tempest
For me, whether this is a total disaster for the RAF depends entirely on the scale of that Tempest investment and how it is intended to equip the carriers post-F35. If it is a decent sum that sets the programme up for success with or without international partners, and an assumption is being made that UCAVs will come on quickly enough to replace F35 on QEC, then the RAF should probably be happy (the reduction in E7 numbers is madness but at least more could be added later). However if the Tempest investment is a token one, perhaps leading to a need to waste money on Typhoon life extension, and *especially* if the RAF is directed to deliver a marinised Tempest to replace the F35s, then this could be an unmitigated disaster of 2010 proportions (and then some). The chances of the mainstream press scrutinizing the settlement to that level of detail before the public returns its focus to COVID are, erm, slim to none.
(Edited to include the helicopter numbers)
Last edited by Easy Street; 7th Mar 2021 at 11:24.