Aviation Procurement

Defence Committee Closed Inquiry
Opened: 21 Mar 2022 Closed: 11 Dec 2023 Parliament page
The Committee has decided to inquire into aviation procurement across the Armed Forces and will undertake two distinct but connected inquiries. The first will focus on the strategic context, existing contracts and capabilities, and the impact of planned reductions to the fleet, and will consider in particular: Will the proposals … Read more
5 Recommendations
14 Conclusions
1 Report
4 Oral sessions
4 Events
Activity timeline 10 events
14 Nov
2023
Report published
10 Sep
2023
Report published
17 May
2023
Oral evidence
17 May
2023
Formal meeting (oral evidence session) · Room 16, Palace of Westminster
22 Mar
2023
Oral evidence
22 Mar
2023
Formal meeting (oral evidence session) · Room 16, Palace of Westminster
29 Nov
2022
Oral evidence
29 Nov
2022
Formal meeting (oral evidence session) · Room 16, Palace of Westminster
28 Jun
2022
Oral evidence
28 Jun
2022
Formal meeting (oral evidence session) · The Wilson Room, Portcullis House
Oral evidence sessions 4 sessions
17 May 2023
View on parliament.uk
Air Chief Marshal Sir Richard Knighton KCB · Ministry of Defence James Cartlidge MP, Minister for Defence Procurement Vice Admiral Rick Thompson · Ministry of Defence
22 Mar 2023
View on parliament.uk
Panel 2
Andy Netherwood - Squadron Leader (Rtd) Captain Royal Navy (Rtd) Dan Stembridge · Royal Aeronautical Society Lieutenant General USAF (Rtd) David Deptula · Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies
29 Nov 2022
View on parliament.uk
Panel 1; Panel 2
Anna Keeling · Boeing Defence UK Ian Muldowney · BAE Systems Air Paul Livingston · Lockheed Martin Sir Kevin Leeson · Airbus UK
28 Jun 2022
View on parliament.uk
Dr Sophy Antrobus · Kings College London Justin Bronk · Royal United Services Institute (RUSI)
Title HC No. Published Items Response
Tenth Report - Aviation Procurement: Winging it? HC 178 10 Sep 2023 19 Responded
Recommendations & Conclusions
19 results
1 Conclusion Accepted
Tenth Report - Aviation Procuremen…
UK's reduced combat air fleet raises serious questions about deterrence and warfighting capability
With the prospect of UK involvement in a major war on the European continent closer than it has been for decades, there are serious questions as to whether the UK’s reduced combat air fleet still provides a sufficient deterrent and … Read more
Government Response
The government asserts that its current combat air fleet, reinforced by investments from the 2021/2023 Defence Command Paper and its contribution to NATO, already provides a sufficient deterrent and warfighting capability. It argues that effectiveness is not solely determined by aircraft numbers but by multi-domain operations and competitive advantage.
Ministry of Defence
View details
2 Conclusion Rejected
Tenth Report - Aviation Procuremen…
Increase combat air mass urgently to address the short-term capability gap
The RAF’s combat aircraft fleet now provides a boutique high capability: it lacks numerical depth and has an inadequate attrition reserve. Exquisite capability has its place, but in a peer-on-peer conflict such as a shooting war with Russia, every airframe … Read more
Government Response
The government rejects the need to increase combat air mass, arguing that effectiveness is not solely judged by numbers, and current investment in capabilities like Typhoon and F-35B, along with NATO contributions, provides sufficient deterrent capability.
Ministry of Defence
View details
3 Conclusion Deferred
Tenth Report - Aviation Procuremen…
F-35 fleet expansion faces high costs, slow growth, and unresolved deployment questions
Increasing the UK’s F-35 fleet beyond the 74 aircraft already planned would be one way to address the combat air capability gap, and this was an approach supported by several of our witnesses. However, although acquisition costs for the aircraft … Read more
Government Response
The government states it will procure a further 27 F-35 aircraft by the early 2030s and will consider increasing the overall fleet size in the mid-2020s as part of the next Strategic Defence Review. It also states it has adapted plans to increase F-35 maintainer numbers by 20% to improve resilience.
Ministry of Defence
View details
4 Conclusion Accepted
Tenth Report - Aviation Procuremen…
Require MoD transparency on F-35 fleet size, attribution, and deployment alongside USMC
The MoD must be transparent and realistic about the eventual size of the F-35 fleet, recognising that the planned deferral of this decision to the middle of this decade will damage the ability of UK industry to maintain an ongoing … Read more
Government Response
The government confirms Tranche 1 (48 aircraft by 2025) and Tranche 2 (27 aircraft, early next decade) purchases, and will consider the eventual F-35 fleet size and variant choice in the mid-2020s as part of the next Strategic Defence Review. It clarifies the Lightning force is RAF-owned but jointly-crewed and operated, and states it is not UK policy to routinely deploy carriers with USMC aircraft embarked.
Ministry of Defence
View details
5 Conclusion Rejected
Tenth Report - Aviation Procuremen…
Deliver Typhoon fleet upgrades at pace and consider mothballing Tranche 1 aircraft
Planned sensor and weapons upgrades to the Typhoon fleet must be delivered at pace. In light of the RAF’s lack of any operational reserve, the MoD should seriously consider mothballing the Tranche 1 Typhoons which are due to be retired … Read more
Government Response
The government has rejected the recommendation to mothball Tranche 1 Typhoons, citing that regeneration would cost over £300 million due to capability, obsolescence, and regulatory needs. It also states retaining them would prevent harvesting components essential for sustaining Tranche 2 and 3 aircraft.
Ministry of Defence
View details
6 Conclusion Accepted
Tenth Report - Aviation Procuremen…
Rapidly progress development and deployment of UAS with clear timescales and funding
Uncrewed Aerial Systems (UAS) offer a cost-effective means of increasing combat mass. As we identified in our 2021 report “We’re Going to Need a Bigger Navy”, the role of UAS within the force mix on the UK’s aircraft carriers remains … Read more
Government Response
The RAF has completed its Autonomous Collaborative Platforms (ACP) Strategy, which includes ambitious, time-bounded targets for delivery of air vehicles and key technology enablers, and will publish it in the near future. The strategy will focus on delivering ultra low-cost air vehicles in the near term.
Ministry of Defence
View details
7 Conclusion Accepted
Tenth Report - Aviation Procuremen…
Serious threat to UK warfighting ability due to Airborne Early Warning capability gap
With only a limited number of (comparatively vulnerable) fixed and mobile land- based radars on UK soil, all of which would be primary targets for our opponents were the current Ukraine conflict to escalate, the capability gap in Airborne Early … Read more
Government Response
The government states that the Wedgetail programme, with a £2 billion procurement and further £2 billion sustainment investment, will provide a step change in Airborne Early Warning and Control capability. It acknowledges an increased risk during the transition but prioritises enabling NATO operations once Wedgetail enters service.
Ministry of Defence
View details
8 Recommendation Rejected
Tenth Report - Aviation Procuremen…
Set out NATO discussions and revisit Wedgetail fleet reduction to five aircraft
Of all of the Defence Command Paper’s cuts, the decision to reduce the UK’s Wedgetail E-7 fleet from five to three aircraft stands out as the most perverse, with the fleet cut by 40% for an acquisition saving of just … Read more
Government Response
The government rejects revisiting the decision to reduce the Wedgetail fleet to three aircraft, stating the reduction saves £700 million and meets key requirements despite acknowledging increased risk. It confirms ongoing engagement with NATO via NAPMO to update them on the programme's developments.
Ministry of Defence
View details
9 Conclusion Deferred
Tenth Report - Aviation Procuremen…
Implement without delay recommendations from recent report on systemic procurement issues
Whilst the E-7 is undoubtedly a capable aircraft, its procurement has been a woeful but depressingly familiar story of MoD failings and contractor underperformance combining to deliver a programme over time and over budget. Our recent report on defence procurement … Read more
Government Response
The government has deflected this recommendation by stating it has responded separately to the Defence Sub-Committee’s report on Defence Procurement.
Ministry of Defence
View details
10 Recommendation Accepted
Tenth Report - Aviation Procuremen…
Demand meaningful UK investment from contractors and hold them accountable for pledges
The Ukraine war has underlined the importance of a thriving and resilient domestic defence industry. The Government must ensure that where it buys equipment off- the-shelf, it demands meaningful and sustainable investment in the UK from contractors in return, and … Read more
Government Response
The government states it already applies the Cabinet Office Social Value Model to all in-scope competitive procurements to ensure contractor investment in the UK. It also actively engages with industry to de-risk critical defence supply chain vulnerabilities and identifies critical pinch points.
Ministry of Defence
View details
11 Conclusion Accepted
Tenth Report - Aviation Procuremen…
C-130J early retirement created significant air mobility capacity gap hampering Special Forces
One of the most significant cuts in the Defence Command paper was the early retirement of the C-130J Hercules fleet some seven years before its planned out-of- service date. Our witnesses were almost unanimously critical of this decision, which has … Read more
Government Response
The government acknowledges a short-term drop in air mobility capacity due to the C-130J Hercules retirement but states critical operational commitments are being met by accelerating the transfer of capability to the Atlas A400M. It offers regular updates on the Atlas A400M and F-35 programmes to the Committee.
Ministry of Defence
View details
12 Conclusion Accepted
Tenth Report - Aviation Procuremen…
Commit to providing six-monthly updates on the availability of the A400M fleet
The RAF has been left scrambling to migrate essential capabilities onto the A400M Atlas and will be reliant on this aircraft which, however capable it may be on paper, has a poor track record of reliability. We intend to closely … Read more
Government Response
The government agrees to provide regular updates on the availability of the A400M fleet, proposing to combine them with the existing six-monthly F-35 programme updates.
Ministry of Defence
View details
13 Conclusion Accepted
Tenth Report - Aviation Procuremen…
Unacceptable flying training delays reducing combat-ready aircrew and impacting pilot morale
Flying training is undoubtedly complex. Air Chief Marshal Sir Richard Knighton observed that “if you take your eye off it for a moment, it can get out of the tolerances that you set” and it is clear to us that … Read more
Government Response
The government acknowledges delays in pilot training and has taken concerted action with industry to rectify Hawk engine availability issues. It has also reinforced leadership of pilot training at a 3-star level and created a quarterly Aircrew Pipeline Steering Group, offering regular updates on trainee holding numbers.
Ministry of Defence
View details
14 Conclusion Accepted
Tenth Report - Aviation Procuremen…
Provide quarterly updates on pilot numbers and average times in flying training pipeline
The former Chief of the Air Staff told us that current delays will be resolved by mid-2024, and we will hold the MoD and the RAF’s senior leadership accountable for delivering on that promise. In its response to this report, … Read more
Government Response
The government agrees to provide regular updates to the Committee on pilot holding numbers within the flying training pipeline, stating they are committed to reducing these to optimum levels.
Ministry of Defence
View details
15 Recommendation Accepted
Tenth Report - Aviation Procuremen…
Set out plan to ensure flexible flying training pipeline adapting to future requirements
Changes to the number of frontline seats are a routine feature of Defence reviews. Whilst they will unavoidably have some impact on the training pipeline, this must be managed so that any consequential backlogs are minimal. A flying training model … Read more
Government Response
The government is introducing initiatives to increase flying training flexibility, including significant capacity improvements in synthetic training and a live-virtual construct. The UK also joined the NATO Flying Training Europe (NFTE) initiative in October 2023 to pool training resources with allies, aiming to improve value for money and flexibility.
Ministry of Defence
View details
16 Recommendation Accepted
Tenth Report - Aviation Procuremen…
Review flying training contractual arrangements, streamlining processes and ensuring contractor liability for failures.
Fast-jet training in particular has suffered a significant reduction in capacity due to a lack of aircraft availability. As a result, the MoD will spend over £55 million sending pilots overseas for training whilst the contractors responsible will face no … Read more
Government Response
The government declined a full review, stating that existing contractual arrangements are already subject to regular amendments and refinements. It confirmed it is already conducting a targeted review of the incentive structure within the existing contractual framework.
Ministry of Defence
View details
17 Recommendation Accepted
Tenth Report - Aviation Procuremen…
Review planned 80/20 synthetic and live flying training mix, considering ground crew and NATO alignment.
Synthetic training offers many benefits, but live flying cannot be replaced, and we are concerned that the RAF’s stated intention for 80% of flying training to be synthetic by 2040 will be sub-optimal for both pilots and ground crew. The … Read more
Government Response
The government stated it is not planning an 80/20 synthetic to live flying training mix, explaining that the optimal balance is constantly reviewed and varies by platform. It also affirmed that the needs of RAF technicians are under continuous review and the UK's approach aligns with NATO policy and guidance.
Ministry of Defence
View details
18 Conclusion Rejected
Tenth Report - Aviation Procuremen…
2021 Defence Command Paper cuts weakened UK air power, leaving the nation dangerously exposed.
The far-reaching cuts to aircraft numbers set out in the 2021 Defence Command Paper weakened the UK’s air power capability at a time when the armed forces were already over-stretched. The scale of this gamble became clear less than a … Read more
Government Response
The government rejected the committee's conclusion, asserting that increased defence spending and transformation programmes ensure the RAF continues to modernise and play a vital role in UK and allied security, rather than being diminished.
Ministry of Defence
View details
19 Conclusion Accepted
Tenth Report - Aviation Procuremen…
Afford the Royal Air Force necessary funding and equipment to fulfil its critical national protection role.
Although these risks were acknowledged in the Defence Command Paper Refresh (DCPR), the actions taken to address them are totally inadequate to the scale of the challenge. The DCPR stands as a missed opportunity to reverse the deeply damaging cuts … Read more
Government Response
The government defends its current funding allocation for Defence, citing a £24 billion increase over four years, and asserts that the RAF is being modernised and transformed through existing investment to remain capable for current and future threats.
Ministry of Defence
View details
Government Response AI assessment · 19 of 5 classified
Accepted 13
Deferred 2
Rejected 4
Total 5 recs + 14 conclusions