RAF Hercules attrition replacements?
 

Following the recent(ish) RAF Hercules losses, have any attrition replacement airframes actually been authorised or ordered yet?

Ah, the huge dilemma of Procurement and one that we can expect this government to ignore. All 3 services are using up the fatigue life of a wide ranging number of "capabilities" from Land Rover to helicopters to FJ and ME aircraft. Let's not talk about the rate personnel are being used up. There can be no doubt that a number of the fleets, and we could probably name them all on here, will be "getting older" at a faster rate than ever envisaged, or more importantly planned for. The EP cannot bring forward the replacements, everyone knows how broken the EP is.

OSDs will come forward, attrition will continue at a higher rate and yet there is no way of replacing those fleets that are rapidly getting worn out. Not without a MASSIVE increase in the Defence Budget - and I can't see GB allowing himself to be "outrun by [us] military bastards" and provide more money to Defence.

Ain't gonna happen. The governments position is that the A400M is going to replace the C-130 in a ratio of 1 to 1 with twice the payload, therefore the loss of a few C-130s does not require any more orders. The time scale required to procure a new C-130 is more than the expected delivery date of the first A400M, so, no, no need or any interim purchases..

Besides in the Herc cases:

179's replacement funding went towards another C17.

206 was officially 'retired' a few months after melting in southern Afg. therefore no requirement to fund a replacement from the attrition budget.

I cynically expect the other two more recent Herc incidents to be politically explained away so that they don't have to be paid out of the attrition fund either.

No need to replace these losses as acccording to our lords and masters the C130 fleet isn't stretched!!!

Never mind the money for the K's as they're about to be retired, what about the J that was lost? That was a nearly-new airframe.

More worringly - what about replacing the Hercules crews who are leaving in droves at the moment?

No we're not, we all love it.
Now hush that conchie talk before I have you shot for treason.

I thought the J-buy was the K attrition replacement anyway and 'far' more than we needed as it included its own attrition buy :}