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FSTA Updates
Just a couple of updates.
Firstly, Vince Cable is calling for an inquiry was to be held into the FSTA contract and it's costs, with industry experts stating that the MOD was being taken to the cleaners. Cable calls for inquiry into Labour’s rip-off RAF deal Vince Cable, the business secretary, has demanded an inquiry into a £10.5 billion military aircraft deal that critics claim is costing more than double the going rate. Cable told The Sunday Times he was seriously concerned about the contract for an RAF tanker jet, which he claimed was part of the Labour government’s “poisoned legacy”. He said a “very well-informed source” had given him “detailed information on massively expensive and unnecessary commitments”. Secondly, there is also a sniff of interest from the French about joining the programme. It takes about it as a "shortgap measure", but these things tend to take on a lifr of their own... Defense News: France To Delay Air Programs A sketchy outline of affected programs emerged during a July 7 hearing in which Defense Minister Hervé Morin appeared before the parliamentary defense committee. Morin said the government plans to postpone orders for a new fleet of multirole tanker and transport (MRTT) aircraft to replace the C-135 fleet and the 700 million euro ($888 million) upgrade of Mirage 2000D aircraft, according to Jean-Claude Viollet, a member of Parliament who attended the hearing...... Given the planned cuts in Britain, France, Germany and Italy, decisions need to be made on pooling capabilities and a specialization of defense tasks, he said. Given the lack of money to perform the full range of missions, governments should think about which ones to opt for, he said. Senior Air Force officers had been hoping an order of 14 air tankers will be placed next year to replace the aging fleet of 14 C-135 FR aircraft by 2015. The parliamentary committee asked Morin if the British Future Strategic Tanker Aircraft fleet might be shared as a stopgap measure. The MRTT is to refuel nuclear-armed strike aircraft, and also carry cargo long distances. |
France regards its nuclear mission as sacrosanct and a national obligation. They will be very unlikely to 'share' anyone else's tankers to support this mission.
MCCE can provide ATARES to non-tanker nations under certain circumstances, but I cannot imagine France being prepared to rely upon such a service for their nuclear mission. However, an update programme for the C-135FR in particular and perhaps the KC-135R would be an entirely plausible and pragmatic way of delaying the need for 'Tanker de Future'. |
The parliamentary committee asked Morin if the British Future Strategic Tanker Aircraft fleet might be shared as a stopgap measure. Sounds more like they would want to lease the ones we weren't using from AirTanker rather than join the programme. Of course any monies received from France would go to AirTanker as they're only just making a profit out of the PFI deal... |
FSTA - Just get on with it please
Here's another viewpoint:
Howard Wheeldon reads between the lines on the announcement to review the Future Strategic Tanker Aircraft programme Nonetheless, I sense that behind this criticism is not the cost of the FSTA programme or whether what the previous government chose was the best option for taxpayers or not. Perhaps this is more about a previous Army Chief of the General Staff, one General Sir Richard Dannatt preferring to see the RAF completely starved of all investment. Why is it I wonder that I get the impression that there are still those in active Army service or that have recently left the service that just do not realise the massively important roll the RAF and indeed the Royal Navy play in meeting our full NATO obligations be those in Afghanistan, on the high seas, across the rest of the globe where our forces serve or here at home? |
Paving the way to axe FSTA?
What are they going to do with that jolly big new hangar at Brize now? |
Bang a mezzanine floor in, a couple of ramp thingys and voila, double decker fat albert servicing hangar. Can even provide long term storage for skips that land without dangling the dunlops. :p
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France regards its nuclear mission as sacrosanct and a national obligation. They will be very unlikely to 'share' anyone else's tankers to support this mission. A joint FSTA programme is not that impossible by comparison. |
The investment in Air Tanker is already too great for a cancellation. Letting other nations buy in to the service is a splendid idea.
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Airbus Military: UK Tanker to Fly By September
By PIERRE TRAN, FARNBOROUGH, UK – A first flight of the A330 multirole tanker and transport (MRTT) aircraft ordered for Britain’s Future Strategic Tanker Aircraft (FSTA) program is due before the end of the third quarter, said Antonio Caramazana, Airbus Military vice president, head of Airbus military derivatives. Flight trials of the second FSTA aircraft is expected “soon after,” Caramazana told journalists July 19 at the Farnborough Airshow. That is expected to be around two months after the flight of the first aircraft, a source familiar with the program said....... |
Flying white elephants: MoD orders £10.5billion planes that can't fly into warzones | Mail Online
Looks like the begining of the end. the public accounts select comittee report makes embarassing reading for both MoD and Treasury and if the sensible thing is done will cost £72million+ to get out of. |
Setting aside FSTA for a moment those defence spending figures look a little suspect without any context to me.
Japan for instance has a massive navy but lacks nuclear subs or aircraft carriers. It also has a massive US presence for security and little in the way of distant protectorates. Ditto for Germany, although their navy is small and the manpower is in the Air Force and Army. The fact that France, our most directly comparable peer, is absent from the list doesn't exactly demonstrate unbiased reporting. Mind you, it's the Mail so its all a bit moot... |
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Defence chiefs were condemned for wrangling for nine years over the contracts, which has forced the RAF to continue using ageing TriStar and VC10 jets dating back to the 1960s. |
Yet more chickens stacking up in a holding pattern...!
Is it true that the FSTA A330s are not fitted with probes so they can't buddy-buddy tank? (a capability we have had since Valiants?) |
What state of the art defensive aids are fitted to Tristar and VC10? I believe that the FSTA will have a DIRCM and MAWS system fitted so is that less protection?
Besides, stating that it cannot fly into Afghanistan is moving the goal posts. It was primarily bought to be a tanker. |
Aunty Beeb is reporting yet more pathetic money wasting & blundering in the dark by MOD.
Somebody will be along in a minute to blame BAE.... http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-11316250 |
NorthernKestrel, whilst that is correct, you may wish to recall that a similar capability was deemed superfluous for the TriStar tanker, so the probes were removed.
From what I read, it is not the requirement for future tankers which has been criticised (apart from MoD vacillation), it is the specific PFI contract. BAE (or rather Airbus Filton) offered a much better solution over 15 years ago - conventional procurement of about 2 dozen A310MRTT tanker-transports to replace the VC10/VC10K and TriStar. Coincidentally, the Luftwaffe have now formally confirmed that the A310MRTT has recently received its official transfer into service with 3 aircraft now fully operational and the 4th to follow later this year. |
The key point in the review is:
"PFI may be suited to projects like building schools or hospitals where there is a clear specification," "Defence programmes are by their nature different - activities and demands are far less predictable and much more susceptible to change. I wonder how many other PFIs should now be reviewed to confirm VFM and whether or not they can actually deliver what they were originally set up for??? |
I read from the AirTanker website:
The FSTA program is running on schedule, within budget and has met all major milestones to date. |
The FSTA program is running on schedule |
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