@ Bob Ainsworth
Secretary of State for Defence June 2009 - May 2010
With a aviation survey just carried out, where 47% asked said the EADS/Airbus A400M transport programme should be cancelled now, because of years of delays and billion dollars over budget costs, with ... Show more »With a aviation survey just carried out, where 47% asked said the EADS/Airbus A400M transport programme should be cancelled now, because of years of delays and billion dollars over budget costs, with another 7 billion dollars being asked for by Airbus from the UK and other launch country customer's. Can the Mod afford the A400M purchase of just 25 aircraft ?, equally with the US.Navy saying the F35 JSF programme costs, both in development costs and purchase cost have doubled, let alone operating cost for the F-35 is higher than F-18's and AV-8B Harrier (GR.7/9's) it will replace, at over $30,000 per hour it flys, will the MoD be able to afford 150 F-35's for the RAF & FAA ?.
When the army, navy and air force all need more helicopters and need them now ?.
Then in the last few days with question's over airworthiness of the RAF Fleet of VC-10's and the early decommissioning of the Nimrod MR.2's and R.1's again over airworthiness ?.
Can the MoD really afford replacement programmes, for transport aircraft, tanker aircraft, fighter aircraft, ISTAR aircraft, plus transport and SAR helicopters and/or armed-recon/utility helicopters too ?.
Or is the truth Afghanistan operation's after Iraq costs, in personnel killed and disabled, vehicles, equipment and aircraft losses etc, is not just bankrupting the Mod but the British Government is the real truth ?, on top of MoD mismanagement of defence projects, programmes and operation's, has wasted million's if not billion's of tax payer's money, will cause more and more defence cuts too ?.
For example the new Royal Navy Aircraft Carrier and/or the replacement Trident Nuclear Submarine prgrammes, plus othe warships programmes being canncelled or reduced ?.
With our British Army Forces, will pay the price and therefore the countries secuirty will in the years to come ?, and just for get welfare programmes for our servicemen and women, service families and veteran's will just be flushing down the toilet ?. Show less »