Chinook HC3 scandal down to MOD incompetance

Among all the scandals involving UK defence procurement the Chinook HC3 scandal has to be the worst of the lot, £500 million for 8 helicopters that can't be used. The problem is said to come from the MOD not requesting the software codes when it signed the original contract and later on not wanting to use software from Boeing at a cost of £40 million. Instead they said they would get it elsewhere for less. Boeing said it would not work and guess who was right? While Boeing's stubborness was also a factor you just wonder how such a scandal, that wastes hundreds of millions of pounds can take place without any apparent comeback?

We've blown the defence budget

Robert Fox writes on the massive scandal that is defence procurement in the UK. A theme often returned to recently but needs to be repeated again and again until something is done. Fox asserts that of equipment currently on order only 2/3 can be afforded. Even a large increase in the defence budget will not fill that gap (not that that is likely to happen). Amazingly the MOD Civil Service is 87,000 strong, larger than the RAF and RN combined. What exactly do all these people do?

Two Navy shipyards could close

Two navy shipyards could close after the conclusion of the CVF contract to build the Royal Navy's new aircraft carriers. A leaked memo from BVT which owns yards in Glasgow and Portsmouth says that the MOD is willing to pay for the 1000s of redundancies when the yards close in the middle of the next decade.



After CVF it is thought just 1 yard will be needed for RN work. Its thought likely to be one of the Clyde yards and Portsmouth as the latter is more modern but not big enough for surface ships of the size of the T42 though of course T45 (which has replaced T42) will be in long completed by then and the only naval orders on the horizon in the latter part of the next decade and beyond are likely to be the next generation frigate fleet.

Airbus try and get A400M back on track

Airbus Military is trying to get the much-delayed and yet-to-fly A400M back on track with a show of commitment from from the 7 European partners before proceeding with the programme. The first flight is now expected some time later this year though the date as yet has not been made public. Delivery dates cannot be given until the flight testing has begun and they have some idea of how much work (and money) will be required to get the plane to completion. Earlier it was estimated delivery to the first customer will be about 3 years after the beginning of flight testing.



Of course the question remains for the RAF, in or out? Leaving it would seem the immediate relief for the short term pain but unfortunately in the long run the wrong option. Leaving A400M would put British jobs at risk and this plane will sell, and likely to sell a lot.

Of course the long term job prospects of Airbus employees is of little comfort or interest to hard pushed troops on the ground and strained RAF logistics crews and it is easy for some commentators to say an off-the-shelf solution should be procured immediately but that is ignoring politics. At the end of the day the military's greatest enemy is politics and its a fact of life that much military procurement is designed to generate or retain jobs in the home nation. Its not ideal for some reasons (but not a total loss, see below) but its a fact of life and grown-ups have to just "deal with it". Keeping arms production "local" is also one of the few times politicians actually think beyond their immediate re-election prospects.

To be reliant on foreign countries for your military hardware is not a situation you really want to be in. In some cases too you can only make some weapons for yourself (e.g. nuclear submarines) and you need to ensure a continual work stream to keep skills and facilities intact. For an example of what happens when you don't, Astute.

So basically the RAF will have to eat the short term pain to afford long-term political and economic gain, but they may get an extra C-17 or two out of it anyway.

Vector axed

The Vector armoured troop transporter vehicle is being withdrawn from combat operations just 3 years after it was procured in a £100 million contract. The reason is basically its not good enough. 100 were bought to give British soldiers more protection from IEDs and other insurgent goodies but it's design is flawed. It has a flat bottom instead of a v-shape which can help deflect the blast from buried bombs. Although up-armoured to protect crews 5 soldiers have died in Vectors since their introduction. Of course it may well be more soldiers could have died without the use of the Vector.

Future Lynx becomes Lynx Wildcat

Future Lynx, the next version of the Lynx which has already survived it's first battle - against cancellation due to the current economic and budgetary chaos, will be known as the AW159 Lynx Wildcat in RN and Army service (and AW159 internationally where Agusta Westland are hoping to pick up a lot of sales).



Lynx Wildcat will perform a variety of different roles for the Army and Navy but aircraft will be able to switch between the services because of the high degree of commonality. Which of course means Paul can rob Peter.

Military to use new gel that stops bullets

A small company has developed a new gel which hardens when it it hit at high impact. d3O locks into a solid form when it is hit absorbing the kinetic energy from the hit. The MOD has awarded the company £100,000 and it is hoped the gel can be applied to the inside of soldier's helmets to reduce the chance of bullets or other projectiles penetrating them. It could be also be employed elsewhere on a soldier's armour.

First wing for future RAF tankers heads to... er... France

The first wing section for the RAF's future fleet of A330-200 tankers has been flown to France from Airbus UK's Broughton plant in North Wales aboard a A300 Beluga. 14 A330-200 tankers will be built by Airbus for the RAF. Well we say RAF, although they will have RAF colours and perform RAF duties the aircraft in of Future Strategic Tanker Aircraft (FSTA) will be procured under a PFI deal and will also be available for commercial duties when the RAF don't need them. Though if we are still in Afghanistan it is unlikely they will have that much free time.

RAF gets it's first Hawk 128s... but there is a hitch

The RAF has accepted it's first Hawk 128s and expects to get 22 of them this year with the other 6 next year. However most of the aircraft received this year will be put into storage because of "logistics issues". It is not that clear what these issues are, the MOD declined to comment in English but instead said "Emerging issues have caused BAE Systems to seek a number of production concessions, and the MoD is working with them to identify the optimum way forward in terms of cost and schedule."



OK whatever but the Hawk T2, as it will be designated, is still expected to enter service in November. However the Hawks will initially be in OC0 standard without embedded simulation capabilities of the final OC2 which should happen by 2012. Training of RAF instructor pilots on the new type has already begun.

The MOD PFI Military Flying Training System (MFTS) could be in trouble because of the global financial Armageddon however. Major lenders are now reluctant to back PFI contracts and this could put a spanner in the works in efforts to procure new fixed and rotary wing training aircraft.

A400M delays force look at alternatives

Further delays to the Airbus A400M are forcing the RAF to look to alternatives. The problem the air force has are it's ageing C-130K Hercules which are now due to expire before they can be replaced by the A400M. The UK defence secretary said a 3 to 4 year delay in A400M would not be accepted. EADS have proposed A330 as an interim measure, though the RAF already have some on order for it's future tankers. More C-17s would probably be the RAF's best choice though of course with any procurement this days the biggest problem will be finding the money for it.



Update (19/01/09) : the RAF is looking at "leasing or procuring" either C-17s and C-130s or extending the lives of the C-130Ks which need replacing around 2012. Some of the C-130Ks may be able to stretch to 2014.