Asked by: Chris Evans (Labour (Co-op) - Islwyn)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment his Department has made of the potential relationship between the delivery of the Military Flying Training System and the functioning of Operational Conversion Unit.
Answered by James Heappey
The Ministry of Defence (MOD) has a range of governance measures in place to assess the full flying training (UK Military Flying Training System (UKMFTS) and Operational Conversion Units (OCU) pipeline's ability to meet MOD needs. These include the bi-monthly Aircrew Pipeline Steering Group (APSG), chaired at 3* level. Flying training has also been introduced as a standing agenda item for the monthly Air Executive Committee and will be reviewed annually at the Air Force Main Board, as the Senior Responsible Owner of UKMFTS.
Asked by: Chris Evans (Labour (Co-op) - Islwyn)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department plans to reassess the retirement of the Tranche 1 Typhoon in the upcoming revised Integrated Review in the context of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Answered by Alex Chalk - Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice
Any specific defence policy or capability changes will be confirmed in the updated Defence Command Paper following the Integrated Review refresh.
On current planning the bulk of the Typhoon Tranche 1 aircraft will go out of service on 31 March 2025, whilst four will be retained until 2027. As the Tranche 1 fleet draws down, aircraft will undergo a Reduce To Produce programme to strip them of useable parts after which they will be sent for disposal action.
Asked by: Chris Evans (Labour (Co-op) - Islwyn)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the financial implications of delaying the full operating capability of the E7 Wedgetail aircraft to 2024.
Answered by Alex Chalk - Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice
There are not expected to be any financial implications associated with delays in the E7 Wedgetail Programme.
Asked by: Chris Evans (Labour (Co-op) - Islwyn)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the whole life cost for the E-7 aircraft will be given the full operating capability of that aircraft has been delayed until 2024.
Answered by Alex Chalk - Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice
I am withholding the information requested about the whole life cost for the E-7 aircraft as disclosure would prejudice commercial interests.
Asked by: Chris Evans (Labour (Co-op) - Islwyn)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when his Department plans for the F35 aircraft to be in full operating capability.
Answered by Alex Chalk - Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice
Full Operating Capability is expected to be declared in 2025.
Asked by: Chris Evans (Labour (Co-op) - Islwyn)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, for what reason there is a delay in the E-7 Wedgetail aircraft fleet reaching full operational capability.
Answered by Alex Chalk - Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice
There have been several reasons behind delays to the E-7 Wedgetail schedule including the Covid-19 pandemic, and global supply chain and resourcing challenges affecting the aerospace and defence industries, exacerbated by the war in Ukraine and a hurricane impacting the radar production facility.
The Ministry of Defence and Boeing are working closely to identify opportunities to minimise the delays, and the detailed schedule, including the Full Operating Capability, will be confirmed when the Full Business Case is finalised in mid-2023.
Asked by: Chris Evans (Labour (Co-op) - Islwyn)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the oral evidence by Charlie Forte to the Public Accounts Committee on 14 November 2022, HC 727, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of the speed of the recruitment process on potential recruits.
Answered by Alex Chalk - Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice
The Department acknowledge that there are undoubtedly areas at each stage of the recruitment process pertaining to speed that require improvement. The MOD are confident that these will help improve our ability to retain potential recruits throughout the process. Areas for improvement include processing of applications prior to interview, the vetting process, and the onboarding process. We are completing in-depth analysis of areas within our control to identify where we can shorten the timelines and working with other Government Departments on those outside of our control, such as the vetting process.
Asked by: Chris Evans (Labour (Co-op) - Islwyn)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the oral evidence by Charlie Forte to the Public Accounts Committee on the Digital Defence Strategy on 14 November 2022, HC 72; what steps he is taking to ensure that technology ordered for individual pieces of equipment for Morpheus is not restricted by a lack of digital capabilities when it is integrated with AJAX.
Answered by Alex Chalk - Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice
The component that caused MORPHEUS to be delayed, as briefed to the Public Accounts Committee on 14 November 2022, is the Evolve to Open (EvO) element, which will reduce vendor lock-in to General Dynamics Mission Systems UK.
The delivery of MORPHEUS is not a requirement for the Armoured Cavalry Programme to achieve Full Operating Capability. As planned, AJAX will be integrated with the latest version of Bowman and will be upgraded to MORPHEUS alongside other in-service platforms.
The MOD will continue to meet all of its operational requirements, providing secure Battlefield Communication and Information Systems (CIS) until MORPHEUS is fielded.
Asked by: Chris Evans (Labour (Co-op) - Islwyn)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when he plans for Morpheus to be fitted to Ajax vehicles.
Answered by Alex Chalk - Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice
The component that caused MORPHEUS to be delayed, as briefed to the Public Accounts Committee on 14 November 2022, is the Evolve to Open (EvO) element, which will reduce vendor lock-in to General Dynamics Mission Systems UK.
The delivery of MORPHEUS is not a requirement for the Armoured Cavalry Programme to achieve Full Operating Capability. As planned, AJAX will be integrated with the latest version of Bowman and will be upgraded to MORPHEUS alongside other in-service platforms.
The MOD will continue to meet all of its operational requirements, providing secure Battlefield Communication and Information Systems (CIS) until MORPHEUS is fielded.
Asked by: Chris Evans (Labour (Co-op) - Islwyn)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the oral evidence by Charlie Forte to the Public Accounts Committee on 14 November 2022, HC 727, which component of Morpheus is causing delays to installation in Ajax.
Answered by Alex Chalk - Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice
The component that caused MORPHEUS to be delayed, as briefed to the Public Accounts Committee on 14 November 2022, is the Evolve to Open (EvO) element, which will reduce vendor lock-in to General Dynamics Mission Systems UK.
The delivery of MORPHEUS is not a requirement for the Armoured Cavalry Programme to achieve Full Operating Capability. As planned, AJAX will be integrated with the latest version of Bowman and will be upgraded to MORPHEUS alongside other in-service platforms.
The MOD will continue to meet all of its operational requirements, providing secure Battlefield Communication and Information Systems (CIS) until MORPHEUS is fielded.