The Times:
Fears for RAF as Tornados face axe
The RAF’s Tornado jet fleet is expected to be grounded after an assessment by the Ministry of Defence leaked to The Times revealed that retiring the aircraft would yield cuts of £7.5 billion.
Scrapping the Tornado, which has been the mainstay of the RAF for more than 30 years, would save billions more than withdrawing the Harrier jet, which is used by the RAF and Royal Navy, internal analysis has found. Savings from scrapping the Harrier Joint Strike Wing, which includes both RAF and Fleet Air Arm squadrons, would be slightly more than £1 billion. Both scenarios are understood to include savings from closing some bases.
The loss of half of Britain’s total fast-jet fleet would raise questions in some quarters about the long-term viability of the RAF. However, sources close to Liam Fox, the Defence Secretary, said last night that any suggestion of an amalgamation of the RAF with another Service would be “a bridge too far for any government”.
The document has been drawn up under the continuing Strategic Defence Spending Review. The Treasury is demanding overall cost savings of between 10 and 20 per cent.
At a meeting of the National Security Council last Saturday, Service chiefs and ministers agreed that one of Britain’s three fleets of fast jets would have to be sacrificed to achieve brutal savings demanded by the Treasury.
The “work stream analysis” undertaken by the MoD makes a direct comparison of “through-life savings” that can be achieved from scrapping either the Harrier GR9 or Tornado GR4 fleets. The third fleet, the Eurofighter Typhoon, is only just entering service and is not under consideration.
While MoD insiders insist that no final decision has been made, one senior source told The Times that scrapping the Tornado “could be said to be finding favour” with ministers and Service chiefs. Britain currently retains just over 200 fast jets, including 120 Tornados, 45 Harriers and 42 of the incoming fleet of Eurofighter Typhoons..............
Previously the Harrier and Tornado fleets had been expected to carry on through to their retirements in 2018 and 2025 respectively. A source in the MoD told The Times: “If the Government decides to buy even one [aircraft] carrier, there is no logic in taking Harrier out and then waiting ten years before we effectively get back the capability with the arrival of JCA.” .....
Savings on fast jets are expected to be matched by swingeing cuts in manpower across the Armed Forces. An assessment by the Royal United Services Institute last month expects a reduction of around 25,000 servicemen and 15,000 MoD support staff by 2014.
The Army is expected to offer to put much of its current heavy tank and artillery capability into long-term storage, while the Navy will expect to see reductions in its current fleet and in future orders for Type-45 destroyers and the Type-26 frigate, which has not yet been built and is not expected in service before 2021.
The future of the Elizabeth Class aircraft carriers remains doubtful, according to MoD sources........