Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, for what reason deliveries of the H-47 Extended Range Chinook helicopters are being delayed until 2026.

This order is part of the commitment made in the recent Defence Command Paper to invest over £85 billion on military equipment and support over the next four years as we reform and renew our Armed Forces. The cutting-edge H-47 (Extended Range) will be at the forefront of our specialist requirements in dealing with threats and logistic support. Our £1.4 billion investment will mean we will be one of very few air forces with this capability. The decision to accept delivery of the H-47 (ER) Chinook Helicopters from 2026 is to enable us to maintain the overall balance of our modernisation priorities.