Hansard Report - 6 Nov 2006:
Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what percentage of (a) the overall military helicopter fleet and (b) the helicopter fleet deployed in (i) Iraq and (ii) Afghanistan are considered (A) fit for service and (B) battle-worthy, broken down by helicopter type. [98556]
Mr. Ingram: The MOD does not use the terms fit for service and battle-worthy in describing helicopters. We use the term “fit for purpose”, which means those that are available, reliable, airworthy and capable of carrying out their planned missions on a given date.
Helicopter type Fit for purpose (Percentage)
Sea King MK 3/3A - 53%
Although this figure does not denote ‘On-State’, it does suggest - for whatever reason - that 47% (12 Platforms) of the MK3/MK3A fleet are either unserviceable, undergoing maintenance or used as Xmas tree’s to support current OPS.
Will not the winner be expected to deliver 98% ‘On-State’ readiness with about the same number of airframes as the RAF currently operates, but for all 12 bases not just the current 6 operated by the RAF.
Although the ‘Queen of the Skies’ (after the Chinook that is), the venerable Sea King is clearly not the way forward - with or without an X-Box 360 cockpit and composite planks and neither is any other old bird likely to fall over in the wind.