Asked by: Lord Moonie (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty's Government why they chose to implement an E-7 Wedgetail conversion programme to maintain the UK’s Airborne Early Warning and Control capability rather than procure new Boeing 737–700 AEW&C aircraft.
Answered by Earl Howe - Shadow Deputy Leader of the House of Lords
The E-7 Wedgetail is a military derivative based on the Boeing 737 NG civil aircraft and has always been produced by modifying that aircraft with a sophisticated radar and mission system suite along with other military systems. Wherever the E-7 is produced it involves the modification of the base aircraft and by undertaking this work at Marshall Aerospace and Defence in Cambridge we have ensured that several hundred highly-skilled jobs have been sustained in the United Kingdom.
Asked by: Lord Moonie (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the procurement of Boeing E-7 Wedgetail aircraft will be subject to oversight by the Single Source Regulations Office; and if so, whether Boeing has agreed to the baseline profit rate.
Answered by Earl Howe - Shadow Deputy Leader of the House of Lords
The prime contract with Boeing Defence UK for the E-7 Wedgetail is assessed as a qualifying defence contract (QDC) in accordance with the Single Source Contract Regulations (SSCR) and is subject to oversight by the Single Source Regulations Office as any QDC would be. The profit rate for the contract has been agreed in accordance with the SSCR six-step calculation process which begins with the baseline profit rate applicable at the time of contract placement.
Asked by: Lord Moonie (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they anticipate that the conversion of a Boeing 737NG aircraft to the E-7 configuration can be accomplished in two years; and what steps they are taking to ensure that timetable can be met.
Answered by Earl Howe - Shadow Deputy Leader of the House of Lords
The schedule for delivery of our aircraft was a key part of our contractual negotiations with Boeing and, as part of the due diligence process, it was subjected to scrutiny and a thorough risk assessment. Consequently, we are confident that the agreed average 24-month modification schedule accurately reflects the expected duration for a project of this nature and scope. Boeing has identified an experienced team to manage the modification programme to ensure it is successful. For this project, Boeing has recruited individuals with a wealth of experience from previous E-7 modification programmes from the US and Australia, who have been involved in all the previous customer programmes. Throughout the project there will, of course, be regular reviews to monitor progress and ensure that it remains on track.
Asked by: Lord Moonie (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty's Government when they expect the Boeing E-7 production line for the conversion of Boeing 737NG aircraft to come back into service.
Answered by Earl Howe - Shadow Deputy Leader of the House of Lords
While the E-7 Wedgetail is a mature, proven technology, it is produced to order and there is not a constant production line for the aircraft. However, the production line for the base Boeing 737 NG aircraft is still fully operational and has confirmed orders that will see it continuing for several years to come. Work is currently underway to establish a line to undertake the conversion work of the base 737 NG into the E-7 Wedgetail at Marshall Defence and Aerospace in Cambridge in preparation for our first aircraft to enter the modification process in 2021.
Asked by: Lord Moonie (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what impact deferring contracting training, infrastructure and other services for E-7 Wedgetail aircraft will have on their ability to negotiate competitive prices.
Answered by Earl Howe - Shadow Deputy Leader of the House of Lords
There has not been any deferral of contracting for these additional services. It is common in acquisition projects of this size and complexity to adopt an incremental procurement approach that enables a better alignment of the build-up of the aircraft fleet and capability with the points at which such additional services are actually required. An overriding consideration in any contract is, of course, to seek best value for money for defence, and there are a variety of mechanisms available to ensure this, including competition or the application of Single Source Contracts Regulations.
Asked by: Lord Moonie (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the failure of Boeing to deliver the KC–46 tanker programme and the removal from commercial service of 737 MAX aircraft on the availability of engineering resources for its E-7 conversion programme.
Answered by Earl Howe - Shadow Deputy Leader of the House of Lords
The E-7 is based on the Boeing 737 NG aircraft and not the 737 MAX so is not affected by the current issues with that variant. Similarly, the E-7 project is independent of the KC-46. Boeing has identified an experienced team to manage the modification programme to ensure it is successful. For this project, Boeing has recruited individuals with a wealth of experience from previous E-7 modification programmes from the US and Australia, who have been involved in all the previous customer programmes. Throughout the project there will, of course, be regular reviews to monitor progress and ensure that it remains on track and is appropriately resourced. Boeing is a company of the size and scale to be able to flexibly manage its resources across multiple priorities from a wealth of available skills and experience.
Asked by: Lord Moonie (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their latest estimate of the cost per flight hour of the F35-B aircraft; and what is their expected in service flight hours.
Answered by Earl Howe - Shadow Deputy Leader of the House of Lords
The Ministry of Defence does not yet have its own figure for the hourly flying cost for an F-35B Lightning as the aircraft has not been in service long enough to generate the required data. However, information would in any case be withheld as its disclosure would or would be likely to prejudice commercial interests.
The expected service life of an F-35B Lightning is 8,000 or more flying hours.
Asked by: Lord Moonie (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what specific responsibility the Chief of Defence staff has, if any, to support UK companies that export defence and security goods and services.
Answered by Earl Howe - Shadow Deputy Leader of the House of Lords
The Strategic Defence and Security Review in 2015 confirmed support to defence exports as a core task for the Department as part of National Security Objective 3 - promoting our prosperity. The Chief of Defence Staff does not have specific export responsibility, however he and all Ministry of Defence (MOD) personnel as representatives of MOD collectively play a key role in the promotion of defence equipment and services from UK-based suppliers to overseas partners and allies.
Asked by: Lord Moonie (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to accelerate the Type 26 warship building programme; and what assessment they have made of the impact on the UK’s programme of the recent announcements by the governments of Australia and Canada on their plans for Type 26 warships.
Answered by Earl Howe - Shadow Deputy Leader of the House of Lords
The Ministry of Defence (MOD) has no plans to change the schedule for the Type 26 Frigate procurement programme. Under the terms of the contract we signed in 2017 to build the first batch of three Type 26 Frigates, the first ship, HMS Glasgow, will enter service in 2027. HMS Cardiff and HMS Belfast will then follow.
Building on the recent success of the Global Combat Ship-Type 26 design in the Australian SEA 5000 and the Canadian Surface Combatant competitions, the MOD continues to work with BAE Systems to understand the opportunities that may materialise as the respective shipbuilding programmes mature.
Asked by: Lord Moonie (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to deploy Batch 1 River-class offshore patrol vessels after Brexit.
Answered by Earl Howe - Shadow Deputy Leader of the House of Lords
It is Ministry of Defence policy not to publish details of the readiness states of individual Royal Navy vessels or types for the purpose of safeguarding national security.
The Noble Lord will be aware of the Secretary of State's announcement, on 22 November, 2018 that we will retain the three Royal Navy Batch 1 Offshore Patrol Vessels, for at least the next two years. HMS Tyne, HMS Mersey and HMS Severn will forward-operate from their namesake rivers - from Newcastle, Liverpool and the Cardiff area respectively - safeguarding UK waters and supporting fishery protection.