Razor61
19th Mar 2005, 15:37
Flying into the Future - MOD reiterates £3bn commitment to deliver new helicopters
Published Friday 18th March 2005
The Public Accounts Committee today published its report on the MoD's Battlefield Helicopter capability.The Public Accounts Committee published its report on the MoD's Battlefield Helicopter capability on 18 March 2005. Commenting on the report, Defence Procurement Minister Lord Bach said:
"We welcome the publication of this report. Our battlefield and maritime helicopter forces, arguably the most capable in Europe, have demonstrated their versatility by supporting the full spectrum of recent operations. We accept that we must properly manage all of our procurement projects. The July 2004 Supplement to the Defence White Paper announced that we plan to invest some £3 billion in Future Rotorcraft Capability to replace and enhance our existing helicopters. This will be focussed on the key capability areas of lift, reconnaissance and attack, which will be central to future expeditionary operations.
"The Chinook Mk3 procurement was first agreed and contracted for in 1995, before Smart Acquisition was adopted by the Department. We do not believe that the problems encountered by Chinook Mk3 would occur again if this project was repeated. The MOD has learned lessons from this and routinely applies these to all other projects. We have introduced a Review & Assurance process for project progress. It is far more important to learn the lessons and move forward rather than to apportion blame for mistakes made long ago, and to learn nothing from them.
"I very much hope we will be able to adopt the Fix-to-Field solution referred to in the Report. There are funds available for such a course. In September 2004 we approved the investment of some £13M as preparatory work to refine the technical and cost data for Fix-to-Field, work that is well underway and will enable us to make the best decision for the Mk3.
"The main findings of this report are not new, they were first identified by the National Audit Office report on Battlefield Helicopters published in April 2004. Since then we have taken major steps towards addressing the recommendations of the NAO report, and have made significant progress.
"The PAC report acknowledges that, since its inception in 1999, the Joint Helicopter Command has made significant progress in delivering efficiencies and a more joined-up approach to the employment of helicopters, which means that the UK has a highly operationally effective helicopter force."
A formal Government response to the PAC report will be published by Her Majesty's Treasury on 12 May.
The original National Audit Office (NAO) Report was published on 7 April 2004, and focussed on issues related to battlefield helicopters since the Joint Helicopter Command (JHC) was established in October 1999. The PAC Hearing was held on 25 October. The NAO Report acknowledged that the JHC has made significant progress in delivering efficiencies and a more joined-up approach, and that the UK helicopter force is arguably the most capable in Europe.
Published Friday 18th March 2005
The Public Accounts Committee today published its report on the MoD's Battlefield Helicopter capability.The Public Accounts Committee published its report on the MoD's Battlefield Helicopter capability on 18 March 2005. Commenting on the report, Defence Procurement Minister Lord Bach said:
"We welcome the publication of this report. Our battlefield and maritime helicopter forces, arguably the most capable in Europe, have demonstrated their versatility by supporting the full spectrum of recent operations. We accept that we must properly manage all of our procurement projects. The July 2004 Supplement to the Defence White Paper announced that we plan to invest some £3 billion in Future Rotorcraft Capability to replace and enhance our existing helicopters. This will be focussed on the key capability areas of lift, reconnaissance and attack, which will be central to future expeditionary operations.
"The Chinook Mk3 procurement was first agreed and contracted for in 1995, before Smart Acquisition was adopted by the Department. We do not believe that the problems encountered by Chinook Mk3 would occur again if this project was repeated. The MOD has learned lessons from this and routinely applies these to all other projects. We have introduced a Review & Assurance process for project progress. It is far more important to learn the lessons and move forward rather than to apportion blame for mistakes made long ago, and to learn nothing from them.
"I very much hope we will be able to adopt the Fix-to-Field solution referred to in the Report. There are funds available for such a course. In September 2004 we approved the investment of some £13M as preparatory work to refine the technical and cost data for Fix-to-Field, work that is well underway and will enable us to make the best decision for the Mk3.
"The main findings of this report are not new, they were first identified by the National Audit Office report on Battlefield Helicopters published in April 2004. Since then we have taken major steps towards addressing the recommendations of the NAO report, and have made significant progress.
"The PAC report acknowledges that, since its inception in 1999, the Joint Helicopter Command has made significant progress in delivering efficiencies and a more joined-up approach to the employment of helicopters, which means that the UK has a highly operationally effective helicopter force."
A formal Government response to the PAC report will be published by Her Majesty's Treasury on 12 May.
The original National Audit Office (NAO) Report was published on 7 April 2004, and focussed on issues related to battlefield helicopters since the Joint Helicopter Command (JHC) was established in October 1999. The PAC Hearing was held on 25 October. The NAO Report acknowledged that the JHC has made significant progress in delivering efficiencies and a more joined-up approach, and that the UK helicopter force is arguably the most capable in Europe.