§ Mr. Jim CunninghamTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the shortfall is in the number of pilots for(a) Sea Harriers and (b) RAF Harriers; and what steps the Department is taking to reduce this number. [50869]
§ Mr. IngramThe position as at 1 April 2002 is set out in the table.
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Force Established flying posts Strength Sea Harrier 172 48 Harrier GR7 267 63 1This reflects the overall commander, lieutenant commander and junior officer requirement for Sea Harriers, including cockpit manning (front line and training), naval broadening within fleet appointments, staff appointments and exchanges for commanders and below. 2Comprises wing commander, squadron leader and junior officer posts on front line squadrons, operational conversion units, operational evaluation units and wing appointments. In addition to the established flying posts, fast jet pilots are required for instructional duties within the RAF's flying training system, overseas exchange posts, the RAF Acrobatic Team and a number of ground duties shared by all General Duties Branches. Addressing the current aircrew shortfalls is a key priority and a number of actions have been taken to reduce the impact of these shortfalls. These include increasing the number of fast jet pilots entering into productive service, returning some middle ranking officers to flying duties and recruiting trained pilots released by the Royal New Zealand Air Force. To improve retention two new financial retention incentives were introduced on I April 2002, each linked to a commitment to five years further service.
§ Mr. Jim CunninghamTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many(a) FA2 Sea Harriers and (b) GR7 RAF Harriers are in service. [50868]
§ Mr. IngramAs at 16 April 2002, there were a total of 54 RAF Harrier GR7s and 29 Sea Harrier FA2s in the Actual Operating Fleet. The Actual Operating Fleet is the total number of aircraft available to undertake the defined military task, and may vary day to day.
§ Mr. Jim CunninghamTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence when the Harrier force will leave service; when the joint strike fighter will enter service; and how many JSF aircraft will be procured. [50872]
§ Mr. IngramI refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave on 28 February 2002,Official Report, columns 1451–52W, to my hon. Friend the Member for Broxtowe (Dr. Palmer), the Sea Harrier FA2s of Joint Force Harrier will be withdrawn from service by 2006.
The Harrier GR9s of Joint Force Harrier will be withdrawn from service as they are replaced by the future joint combat aircraft (FJCA) and, on current plans, this will be completed in 2015.
The joint strike fighter has been selected as having the best potential for meeting our FJCA requirement and is currently planned to enter UK service in 2012. Work is currently on-going on numbers required, but our current planning assumption is for some 150 aircraft.
§ Mr. Jim CunninghamTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement about the reduction in the number of RAF Nimrod patrol aircraft. [50871]
§ Dr. MoonieI refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave on 28 February 2002,Official Report, columns 1452–53W, to my hon. Friend the Member for Broxtowe (Dr. Palmer).
§ Mr. Jim CunninghamTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the types of aircraft used by the RAF; and how many of each are operational. [50873]
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§ Mr. IngramOn 16 April 2002, there were 821 fixed wing aircraft and 162 rotary wing aircraft in the RAF's Actual Operating Fleet. The breakdown of this figure by aircraft type and number is detailed in the following table.
Aircraft type Number of aircraft Fixed wing aircraft BAe 125 ccMk3 6 BAe 146 ccMK2 2 C-17 4 Canberra 5 Chipmunk 2 Dakota 1 Dominie 11 Firefly 45 Harrier GR7 54 Harrier T10 8 Sea Harrier FA2 29 Sea Harrier T8 4 Hawk 115 Hercules C-130J 23 Hercules C-130K 26 Islander 1 Jaguar 43 Jetstream TMk 11 Nimrod MR2 18 Nimrod RI 2 Sentry E-3D AEW Mk1 6 Tornado F3 90 Tornado GR1/4 112 Tristar 9 Tucano Mk I 76 Tutor 99 VCIO 19 Rotary Wing Aircraft Chinook Mk 2/2a 31 Griffin 9 Merlin Mk 3 9 Puma 35 Sea King Mk 3/3a 25 Twin Squirrel 41 Wessex HC2 12 The RAF also operates the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight, which comprises eight fixed wing aircraft. The breakdown of this figure by aircraft type and number is detailed in the following table.
Aircraft type Number of aircraft Hurricane 2 Lancaster B1 1 Spitfire 5
§ Mr. Jim CunninghamTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many Harrier aircraft will operate under the Joint Force Harrier; and what improvements will be made to the GR9 Harrier to allow the separate Harrier forces to integrate. [50870]
§ Mr. IngramI assume my hon. Friend to be asking for the number of Harrier aircraft that will operate under Joint Force Harrier following the withdrawal from service of the Sea Harrier by 2006 and that he is referring to improvements planned to the Harrier GR7 aircraft when he asks what improvements will be made to allow the separate Harrier forces to integrate.
1076WFollowing the withdrawal from service of the Sea Harrier, the Required Operating Fleet of the Joint Force Harrier is expected to be 51 aircraft. The Required Operating Fleet is the theoretical number of aircraft required by the operational squadrons to undertake the defined military task.
Thirty Harrier GR7 aircraft will be upgraded to GR7 a standard by the integration of the Pegasus Mk 107 engine. This will provide improved performance, particularly for carrier borne operation. Furthermore, all Harrier GR7 and Harrier GR7a aircraft will receive avionics and weapons upgrades to provide the aircraft with a much improved capability, in particular the ability to deliver the new generation of smart weapons that are about to enter service. These aircraft will be designated Harrier GR9 and Harrier GR9a.