Stewart Penney/LONDON
The final elements of the UK's 1998 Strategic Defence Review have been implemented by the Ministry of Defence with the formation of a combined joint service BAE Systems Harrier force and a single organisation responsible for supply and engineering throughout the three services.
Joint Force Harrier (JFH) - previously Joint Force 2000 - came into being on 1 April and combines the Royal Air Force's Harrier GR7s and Royal Navy Sea Harrier FA2s under a single command.
The force will be part of 3 Group within a restructured Strike Command, which became active on the same day (Flight International, 8-14 December, 1999). Also within 3 Group is the RAF's maritime patrol aircraft and search-and-rescue helicopters.
A senior 3 Group source says that JFH will allow the UK to react better to contingencies and is a key element of the shift to expeditionary air power. It will also develop RAF operations from the RN's three Invincible-class carriers, with the three front-line Harrier GR7 units regularly embarking to maintain shipboard operations proficiency. The official says the ideal carrier complement will be eight each of Sea Harriers and GR7s.
JFH will give the UK greater flexibility, says the source, with the force able to deploy with air defence and ground attack elements from land bases or the aircraft carriers.
The two Harrier types will be replaced by the Future Carrier Borne Aircraft (FCBA) from around 2010. The Joint Strike Fighter is considered the lead FCBA contender, but the Boeing F/A-18E/F,Dassault Rafale, a navalised Eurofighter and a "Harrier 3" are also in the running.
Later this year, 1Sqn will move from RAF Wittering to join 3 and 4 Sqns at RAF Cottesmore. The RN's two operational Sea Harrier units will move to Cottesmore from Yeovilton in 2003, with an operational conversion unit joining the RAF's equivalent at Wittering, establishing dedicated operational and training stations.
The formation of the tri-service Defence Logistics Organisation on 3 April is designed to save 20% of the UK's logistics costs - £4.7 billion ($7.5 billion) annually- by combining air force, army and navy support. Key aerospace elements include the Defence Aviation Repair Agency and the Defence Transport and Movements Agency.
The aim is to eliminate duplication and to use best practices from commercial organisations.
Source: Flight International
