Source:
Sunday Telegraph
MoD to sell off undelivered Eurofighters
By Sean Rayment Defence Correspondent
(Filed: 30/05/2004)
The Ministry of Defence is seeking to sell off dozens of
Eurofighter aircraft before it has even received them in an attempt
to avoid further embarrassment over the escalating cost of the
project.
The Government is committed to buying 232 Eurofighters despite
concerns that the aircraft, which is 10 years behind schedule and
£5.4 billion overspent on a budget of about £15 billion, is already
outdated and not suited for modern warfare.
Ministers are now planning to sell up to 50 of the jets to
Austria and Singapore instead of first re-equipping the Royal Air
Force. The aircraft, which cost about £43 million each, could even
be sold off at a loss if a country bids for a large number of them.
Other countries on a list of potential purchasers include Norway
and South Korea.
Austria has agreed to purchase 18 aircraft, while Greece, which had
said it was interested in buying 60 British Eurofighters, has
deferred a decision on the final contract until after the Olympic
Games.
The Government had agreed to buy its Eurofighters in three separate
packages of 55, 88 and 89, over the next 10 years as part of a
joint project with Germany, Italy and Spain.
The RAF has already taken delivery of six of the aircraft, which
are being used to train pilots. The arrival of the remaining 49
from the first tranche will be delayed, however, if required by
other countries.
Although senior RAF officers have tried to argue that the full
complement of 232 aircraft is essential for the security of
Britain, the heads of the Army and the Royal Navy have convinced
the Government that the money could be better used on more relevant
defence projects.
The decision to sell off some of Britain's Eurofighters was
disclosed by Adam Ingram, the Armed Forces minister, in a reply to
a parliamentary question by Norman Lamb, a Liberal Democrat
MP.
Mr Ingram said: "Some consideration has been given to the scope to
provide for early export of Eurofighter to potential overseas
customers.
"If pursued, a sale might be accomplished by adjusting the delivery
profile to the RAF. The RAF remains, however, the primary customer
for these aircraft and any decision made will take full account of
its requirements."
Paul Keetch, the defence spokesman for the Liberal Democrats, said:
"If other countries get their hands on Eurofighter it will be a
blow to our pilots who have been waiting for this plane for
years.
"The fact that the Ministry of Defence is trying to sell off planes
ordered for the RAF might make financial sense, but it is a damning
indictment of government procurement strategy."
The embarrassing revelation comes just days after it emerged that
the Eurofighter's test pilots had been told to avoid flying through
clouds because computer problems risked throwing the aircraft into
a "catastrophic spin".
In a leaked report by a test pilot it emerged that the computer had
a tendency to switch from flight mode to ground mode while still in
the air.
Eurofighter was originally conceived 30 years ago to attack
formations of Soviet bombers attempting to penetrate Western
airspace before a full-scale invasion of Europe.
When the threat of invasion disappeared with the collapse of the
Soviet Union, the aircraft was remodelled to become a multi-role
aircraft. The project has since been beset with a succession of
problems, which have delayed the arrival of the aircraft and pushed
up the cost.
Two weeks ago, Mr Ingram was also forced to admit that the separate
£25 billion Joint Strike Fighter project was also facing serious
difficulties after it emerged that the aircraft, which is due to
replace the Harrier jump jet, was more than 3,000lb too heavy to
fly safely.
A Ministry of Defence spokesman confirmed that the Government was
examining a deal that would see Eurofighters delivered to the
Austrian air force before being delivered to the RAF.
All Eurofighters were recently grounded because of problems with
landing gear and brakes - a problem described by the manufacturers,
British AerospaceSystems, as "teething troubles".
In 2002, during a test flight, a Spanish Eurofighter crashed after
both of its engines failed. Both crew ejected and
survived.
