Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many Tornado fighter aircraft are in service; how many are serviceable; how many could be serviceable within a week; how many are in longer-term maintenance; and whether any are considered to be in reserve.

The Forward Fleet comprises serviceable and short term unserviceable aircraft. Typically the short term unserviceable aircraft are undergoing minor works, forward maintenance or any other unforeseen rectification or technical inspection that can arise on a day-to-day basis. The Sustainment Fleet includes aircraft undergoing deep maintenance, upgrade programmes or being held in storage.

The total in service Tornado GR4 fleet is 68 airframes, of which 46 are in the Forward Fleet and 22 are in the Sustainment Fleet.