Douglas Barrie/London
The Royal Air Force has told the UK Government that it will sacrifice Panavia Tornado GR1, Tornado F3, and British Aerospace Harrier GR7 aircraft to prevent the Sepecat Jaguar being axed.
In arguing its corner within the ongoing Strategic Defence Review (SDR), the RAF is battling to keep the Jaguar fleet. Whitehall sources say that the RAF is proposing to cut a dozen Tornado GR1s, a slightly larger number of F3s, and around eight Harriers, rather than lose the Jaguar. The UK Ministry of Defence declines to discuss details of SDR proposals.
Some senior government advisors are understood to be warning that cutting the Jaguar is easier in terms of public presentation, rather than trimming a number of other combat types.
The SDR recommendations are expected to go before both Treasury and Cabinet committees during April for final approval, before the review is made public.
If the RAF's proposals are accepted, then the Tornado GR1 and Harrier GR7 aircraft will go into deep storage.
With both types expected to remain in service well into the next century, these aircraft are likely to re-enter the front line inventory eventually as attrition or airframe fatigue life replacements.
In the RAF's view Tornado cuts are acceptable
Whitehall sources also suggest that, as part of the SDR package, the RAF will get the go-ahead to acquire a handful of Boeing C-17 Globemaster III strategic airlifters. Some four to six aircraft would be introduced into the RAFto provide a complement to the force's Lockheed Martin C-130 Hercules transport fleet.
In terms of presentation, however, this will also be a delicate issue for the Government, since it remains, at least on paper, interested in the European Future Large Aircraft (FLA) military transport project. Senior RAF officers are adamant that they have no interest in operating three types of military transports.
The SDR is also expected to include an additional purchase of Boeing/Westland AH-64 Apache attack helicopters for the Army Air Corps . A further 12-20 are expected to be ordered as a salve to the proposed serious cuts in the army's heavy armour units.
The Army has 67 GKN Westland-built WAH-64 attack helicopters on order to replace the Westland Lynx.
Source: Flight International
