Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the potential operational implications are of retiring 14 Chinook helicopters early for (a) 16 Air Assault Brigade Combat Team, (b) the Air Manoeuvre Task Force, (c) Joint Helicopter Command, (d) the Global Response Force, (e) the Army and (f) the RAF.

The phased retirement of the 14 oldest Chinook helicopters will not negatively impact the delivery of current Defence operational outputs, as these retirements will be synchronised with the delivery of replacement state-of-the-art Chinook H-47 (Extended Range) from 2027 onwards, maintaining our fleet number. A phased transition will see the old aircraft retired from service at the point they are due to enter into costly maintenance packages; ensure that we retain the necessary aircraft to cover operational commitments; and that engineers and pilots are available to transition onto the new H-47(ER) aircraft. H-47(ER) is a modern capability that will allow us to operate even closer with partner nations, including the US. This decision will allow greater efficiency within the maintenance cycles and better enable the transition process to the new aircraft.