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 taken by the Defence Select Committee on 29 November 2022 on Aviation Procurement, HC 178, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the time it will take for Tempest aircraft to become fully operational on air combat capability gaps.
Answered by Alex Chalk - Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice
The Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP) is a collaboration between the UK, Italy and Japan to develop a next-generation fighter aircraft to enter service from 2035, before Typhoon's earliest possible out of service date of 2040. Within the UK, the aircraft under development will be known as Tempest.
Asked by: Chris Evans (Labour (Co-op) - Islwyn)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of commissioning the three E-7 Wedgetail airborne early warning aircraft.
Answered by Alex Chalk - Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice
I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to question 102821 from the Rt hon. Member for Rayleigh and Wickford on 13 December 2022.
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 taken by the Defence Select Committee on 29 November 2022 on Aviation Procurement, HC 178, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the timescale in which the majority of the Typhoon Tranche 1 aircraft will go out of service on air combat capability gaps.
Answered by Alex Chalk - Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice
The retirement of Typhoon Tranche 1 will enable further investment in Typhoon Tranche 2 and 3, which will incrementally develop through the Future Capability Programme. The retention of seven front line Typhoon squadrons, equipped with more modern and reliable aircraft will ensure no deterioration in combat effect.
Our future force will be based around these upgraded Typhoon and F-35 for the coming decades, before the next generation of combat air fighter jets comes into service through the Global Combat Air Programme.
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.