UK secretary of state for defence Geoff Hoon is expected to announce a swingeing round of cuts to the UK armed forces budgets on Wednesday, with the Royal Air Force tipped to bear the brunt of cost saving measures.
The cuts are said to include the accelerated retirement of the Sepecat Jaguar reconnaissance and ground-attack aircraft fleet and the RAF's remaining Westland/Aerospatiale Puma HC1 utility helicopters. The RAF Regiment is also tipped to be the victim of Hoon's spending axe, while some suggest that BAE Systems' yet-to-fly Nimrod MRA4 maritime patrol aircraft could suffer the same fate.
AgustaWestland's Future Lynx and Merlin helicopter programmes could be under threat if separate controversial recommendations from within the UK MoD are implemented.
Flight Daily News has learned that members of the influential 'Workstrand 13' team, set up to oversee efforts to cut £1 billion from the £4.1bn Future Rotorcraft Equipment Plan, are recommending a solution that threatens the prospects of both the Future Lynx and Merlin.
Workstrand 13 reports to the UK's Defence Management Board (DMB) and its recommendations are central to a decision on how the UK fulfils the requirements of three key programmes
Source: Flight Daily News
