Asked by: Mark Francois (Conservative - Rayleigh and Wickford)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when he plans to commence the competition for the Morpheus tactical communications system.
Answered by James Cartlidge - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
I refer my right Hon. Friend to the answer I gave on 27 April 2023 to Question 182237 to the right Hon. Member for North Durham (Mr Kevan Jones).
Asked by: Mark Francois (Conservative - Rayleigh and Wickford)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent estimate he has made of the cost of upgrading the Bowman tactical communications system from BCP 5.6 standard to BCP 5.7; when the upgraded system is expected to achieve initial operating capability; and which contractor has been appointed to undertake the work.
Answered by James Cartlidge - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
I will write to the right hon. Member with the detail requested and a copy of my letter will be placed in the Library of the House.
Asked by: Mark Francois (Conservative - Rayleigh and Wickford)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent estimate he has made of when the last of the two submarines of the Astute class will enter operational service.
Answered by James Cartlidge - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
Planned in-service and out-of-service dates for Royal Navy submarines are withheld as disclosure would, or would be likely to, prejudice the capability, effectiveness, or security of the Armed Forces.
We remain committed to delivering all seven Astute Class submarines.
Asked by: Mark Francois (Conservative - Rayleigh and Wickford)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what estimate he has made of the cost of the Challenger 3 upgrade programme; what the definition is of initial operating capability for Challenger 3; and what the planned date is for that initial operating capability.
Answered by James Cartlidge - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
We do not routinely release forecast figures regarding the resource and capital expenditure of our major projects. Portfolio data is published annually in support of the Infrastructure and Projects Authority (IPA) Annual Report which includes a budget baseline and the latest HM Treasury approved estimates in respect of whole life costs. The current report is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications//infrastructure-and-projects-authority-annual-report-2022-23
Initial Operating Capability is defined as a single squadron of Main Battle Tanks with trained crews and is planned to be achieved in 2027.
Asked by: Mark Francois (Conservative - Rayleigh and Wickford)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much his Department has spent on the Warrior Capability Sustainment Programme since the start of that programme.
Answered by James Cartlidge - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The total cost to the Ministry of Defence of the Warrior Capability Sustainment Programme was £473.5 million.
Asked by: Mark Francois (Conservative - Rayleigh and Wickford)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what is the planned initial operating capability date for the next generation of Skynet communications satellites.
Answered by James Cartlidge - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The contracted date for initial operating capability of SKYNET 6A is January 2026, which is defined as having seven of the ultra-high frequency channels available for operational use by Ministry of Defence and allied personnel.
Competitions to procure subsequent geostationary satellites are underway, with the most likely initial operating capability dates being 2028 for the first satellite, 2030 for the second, 2032 for the third and 2036 for the fourth.
Asked by: Mark Francois (Conservative - Rayleigh and Wickford)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the latest estimated initial operating capability date is for the Morpheus next-generation tactical communications system.
Answered by James Cartlidge - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The original Initial Operating Capability (IOC) date was 2025; a revised IOC is yet to be defined pending ongoing contractual discussions with General Dynamics Mission Systems (UK).
Asked by: Mark Francois (Conservative - Rayleigh and Wickford)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when he plans for the last Type 23 frigate to leave operational service.
Answered by James Cartlidge - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
On current plans, the last Type 23 frigate will transition out of service in 2035. The Royal Navy continuously reviews its requirements to ensure all operational requirements continue to be met, both now and in the future.
Asked by: Mark Francois (Conservative - Rayleigh and Wickford)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what is the anticipated cost of repairing the submarine lift at Faslane Naval Base.
Answered by James Cartlidge - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
I am unable to confirm the status of the shiplift at His Majesty's Naval Base Clyde as to do so could, or would be likely to, prejudice the capability and effectiveness of our Armed Forces.
Asked by: Mark Francois (Conservative - Rayleigh and Wickford)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will list each refit of the Type 23 frigate class over the last ten years by (a) name of ship, (b) contractor carrying out the refit, (c) estimated time to complete the retrofit and (d) actual time to complete the retrofit.
Answered by James Cartlidge - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The requested information is provided in the table below.
Details of the planned duration of each refit period before work commenced could be provided only at a disproportionate cost. The data required would have to be collated from a number of sources, some of which are no longer readily accessible. In addition, some of the data required remains commercially sensitive.
It should be noted that the duration of any refit period is highly dependent on multiple factors including the planned scope of the work, shaped by the age and operating profile of the vessel; the extent of emergent work, which cannot be forecast before the refit commences; and by external factors such as Covid shutdowns.
Ship | Contractor | Start | End | Duration (Months) |
HMS PORTLAND | Babcock | Nov-11 | May-13 | 19 |
HMS IRON DUKE | BAE Systems | Feb-12 | Nov-13 | 22 |
HMS SOMERSET | Babcock | Apr-12 | Mar-13 | 12 |
HMS SUTHERLAND | Babcock | Oct-13 | Jun-15 | 21 |
HMS ST ALBANS | BAE Systems | Apr-13 | Aug-14 | 17 |
HMS WESTMINSTER | BAE Systems | Oct-14 | Mar-17 | 30 |
HMS MONMOUTH | Babcock | Jan-14 | Sep-15 | 21 |
HMS MONTROSE | Babcock | Mar-14 | Jul-15 | 17 |
HMS ARGYLL | Babcock | May-15 | Apr-17 | 24 |
HMS NORTHUMBERLAND | Babcock | May-16 | Apr-18 | 23 |
HMS KENT | Babcock | Oct-16 | Oct-18 | 25 |
HMS LANCASTER | Babcock | May-17 | May-20 | 36 |
HMS RICHMOND | Babcock | Sep-17 | Mar-20 | 30 |
HMS SOMERSET | Babcock | Oct-18 | May-22 | 43 |
HMS PORTLAND | Babcock | Apr-18 | May-21 | 37 |
HMS IRON DUKE | Babcock | May-19 | Jun-23 | 49 |