UK Government attempts to massage a critical ú1 billion ($1.64 billion) Royal Air Force procurement programme to acquire a new maritime-patrol aircraft have ended in near farce. The ministerial promise of a "strategic partnership" between competitors Boeing and GEC has failed to materialise.
When the Ministry of Defence (MoD) announced that British Aerospace had won the contract for the RAF's Replacement Maritime Patrol Aircraft (RMPA) in July 1996, Michael Portillo, the defence minister, surprised the contenders by announcing: "Key elements of the mission system will be provided through a strategic partnership between Boeing and GEC."
The deal was expected to see GEC win up to ú200 million worth of work on the winning contract as compensation for having backed the losing contender, Lockheed Martin, with its Orion 2000. In the event ,the UK company has only managed to acquire around ú10 million-worth of work. It is understood that GEC does not expect that figure to grow.
Portillo made his announcement against the background of a forthcoming election, and there was political pressure to maximise the UK content of several key procurements made in 1996. Boeing was teamed with BAe on the Nimrod 2000, acting as the mission system supplier on the winning bid.
None of the companies has been able to comment. Industry sources, however, say that the GEC deal "-hasn't happened, and it isn't going to happen". The MoD also declines to discuss the issue.
In the wake of the announcement, say programme sources, GEC tasked a senior employee with attempting to identify areas of work within the Boeing element of the Nimrod 2000 that GEC could lead. This task proved fruitless at such a late stage in the project, although GEC has won some work on the RMPA, including the satellite communications suite.
Source: Flight International
