Ministers urged to renege on US aircraft deal
MPs have urged the government to pull out of a £140 billion joint strike fighter unless the US provides the information needed to operate the planes independently.
A new report from the defence select committee says the collaboration on new military aircraft must only be continued if the UK has the technological information to be able to operate the new planes without the help of the US.
Defence secretary Des Browne told the committee that Britain would not buy the planes unless it had “operational sovereignty” but was optimistic that a deal could be reached.
However, the MPs say US sources are not so positive in their assessment and call on the Ministry of Defence (MoD) to prepare for a ‘Plan B’, which could see the UK developing new aircraft on its own.
The report says: “If the required assurances are not obtained by the end of the year, we recommend that the MoD switch the majority of its effort and funding on the programme into developing a fallback ‘Plan B’, so that an alternative aircraft is available in case the UK has to withdraw from the joint strike fighter programme.”
“We must not get into a situation where there are no aircraft to operate from the two new aircraft carriers when they enter service.”
Shadow defence minister Gerald Howarth endorsed the MPs’ findings, saying Britain was a key partner in the joint strike fighter project and must be able to “operate, maintain or upgrade the aircraft without the approval of the US government”.
“Failure by the US to grant the UK access to the technology would restrict Britain’s national sovereignty,” he said.
“If the issue cannot be resolved Britain will be faced with the real prospect of having to find an alternative to operate from the two new aircraft carriers when they enter service.”
Elsewhere in the report, the MPs welcome improvements in the defence procurement process, expressing “high satisfaction” with the way the Defence Procure Agency (DPA) has so far dealt with urgent operation requirements for troops in Iraq and Afghanistan.
However, they warn that delays are still occurring, highlighting the fact that despite a “desperate” need by troops in Iraq and Afghanistan for heavy lift helicopters, eight Chinook Mk 3 helicopters are sitting in hangars and have no date for entering service.
The MPs also repeat concerns expressed by the former head of the army, Mike Jackson, on Wednesday night about the MoD’s management of these requirements, saying the need to respond to performance targets must not get in the way of what is needed.
The report says the DPA must “rise to the challenge” set by Tony Blair when he said commanders in Afghanistan and Iraq could have whatever they needed, and urged the Treasury to speed up the approval of funding for such
Mr Howarth said: “The government has failed to deliver the essential equipment needed by our armed forces when Britain’s military commitments are increasing.”
- Yesterday the defence committee revealed that the MoD had asked for £1.4 billion to pay for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan this year, of which £860 million was spent on Iraq and £540 million on Afghanistan. This does not include the cost of troops’ pay.
