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Cameron U-Turn Expected Over Royal Navy Fighter Jets

PA/The Huffington Post UK  |  Posted: 09/05/2012 10:30 Updated: 09/05/2012 14:02

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F 35 Cost Canada Kevin Page
The Royal Navy will turn to the jump jet equivalent of the F-35, which require less space and expensive equipment to launch

David Cameron is set for an embarrassing U-turn over the fighter aircraft for the Royal Navy's new carriers, it was reported today.

The Prime Minister has finally signed off a decision to revert to the jump-jet variant of the US-built F-35 Joint Strike Fighter - as planned by the former Labour government - according to the Daily Telegraph.

A Government source confirmed that the issue had been discussed at yesterday's meeting of the National Security Council. An announcement was said to be "imminent".

Under the 2010 Strategic Defence and Security Review, the coalition had planned to switch to the carrier variant - the F-35C - arguing that it was a more capable aircraft and, unlike the F-35B jump jet, would be inter-operable with the US and French navies.

However the costs of fitting the necessary catapults and arrester gear to one of the carriers is reported to have spiralled from an estimated £40m to almost £2bn.

The decision will be an embarrassment for Mr Cameron who strongly criticised the original decision by Labour to opt for the jump jet.

Shadow Defence Secretary Jim Murphy said: "This is a personal humiliation for David Cameron, who will have to return to Labour's policy, which he previously condemned.

"Scrapping the Harriers to leave Britain without aircraft to fly from aircraft carriers for at least a decade appears increasingly inexplicable.

"The Defence Secretary's [Philip Hammond] misplaced triumphalism is overshadowed by a widespread worry about the handling of major defence projects."

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gogsrule
57 Fans
10:14 AM on 05/10/2012
U-turn, I think he's in a tailspin. Another 2 years wasted and the additional costs of having to pick up the pieces - now that's a big waste of public money - how much have you cost us on this project with your lack of judgement and "cost savings" DC?
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Weejoethebakerboy
16 Fans
05:50 PM on 05/09/2012
1st u turn of very many, let's hope, so do not feel to embarrassed Dave , you will feel better in the end.
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Peter deBullion
20 Fans
02:20 PM on 05/09/2012
What is more important , having a real operational air defence or paying millions to bail out the IMF .? It seems that the Tories thought the IMF bail out. They give away our money to the EU, let bankers help themselves to millions, Let councillors pay themselves exorbitant wages , leave everything short of finances , do nothing about everything then say they can't afford these planes. We could afford anything if we ever got a government who stopped billions of pounds going to the wrong people all the time.
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
FanaticRealist
Romney's Dog: 21st Century Schrodinger's Cat
1000 Fans
 
01:11 PM on 05/09/2012
However the costs of fitting the necessary catapults and arrester gear to one of the carriers is reported to have spiralled from an estimated £40m to almost £2bn.

---

So the initial estimate was out by a factor of 50 or 98% of the 'current' reality, which itself would have probably turned out to be a underestimate.

And our governments have the gall to ask us for financial restraint.
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edskey
60 Fans
01:00 PM on 05/09/2012
Can Dangerous Dave walk backwards?
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victormeldrew
11 Fans
12:17 PM on 05/09/2012
In my view, the Harrier Jump Jet was the most brilliantly conceived combat aircraft - ever ! The original decision to do away with it beggars belief , and all for the sake of political expediency .
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UnRealLife
9 Fans
05:43 PM on 05/09/2012
Yep, they got rid of it because the arm's companies were not getting any money for there "new" inventions.
Successive British government's were lobbied by arms companies to get rid of the Harriers and the aircraft carriers so they could fill their pockets with our hard earned TAX.
What a waste!
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sparky42
41 Fans
06:12 PM on 05/09/2012
It's more complicated than that, the RAF didn't like the RN having the FAA and so the Sea Harrier went away. Then when the financial squeeze came on the UK the RAF was given a choice between the Harrier and the Tornado. The Tornado was chosen to be keep (and there could be questions raised as to why) and the Harrier went as well.

A cynic might point out that this has ended the FAA again which will always make the higher ups in the RAF happy. But really the senior uniform and civilians of the MOD have questions to answer.
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Electrastar
65 Fans
11:51 AM on 05/09/2012
Put your trust in Cameron to save us.......Bollocks!
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sparky42
41 Fans
11:41 AM on 05/09/2012
To be fair the B variant is more expensive and the least preforming in tests at the moment, its also the one under the most risk of cancelling. I wonder if the US might have pushed for this to maintain the buy order as the US marines are coming under pressure about their numbers as well.

It's still a stupid buy for the RN as a 65000 ton carrier will only have about 12- 18 planes based on it under current plans. It will also be unable to field an AWAC's plane and the RN has neither the number escorts or the supply ships for heavy combat.
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ivor bigun
18 Fans
11:19 AM on 05/09/2012
No 'dodgy Dave' won't be acknowledging what a good decision it was by Labour-it would churn his stomach up.
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
Independentsecularhuman
The name says it all
468 Fans
 
10:48 AM on 05/09/2012
Not wishing to "pile on", but we TOLD ya so, Dave....Labour had plenty of good ideas and just doing "the opposite" isn't governing..it's just being childish.
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sparky42
41 Fans
11:43 AM on 05/09/2012
Yeah and the decision to go for the QE had nothing at all with the fact that the main shipyard is just over from Gordon's constituency, The fleet would have been better served buying the full amount of Darings and accepting a multirole amphib design to replace Ocean and the I's
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