SIR – In 2018 the Red Arrows are due to retire their Hawk aircraft. Will the Government disband the world-famous aerobatic team? If they purchase new aircraft, will they buy British from BAE as the Chancellor George Osborne promised in his “march of the makers” Budget, or cheaper Italian or Korean planes? There’s also talk of using second-hand US aircraft.
If we do go ahead and use both our aircraft carriers, how many F-35 aircraft will the Tories authorise? Logic states they need around 35 planes per carrier but only 14 have been ordered. The carriers will also need at least two frigates and two destroyers each to provide the protection needed for £5 billion worth of British real estate sailing on the high seas.
That leaves us with around 10 surface escorts to protect our coastline and our commitments overseas: simply not enough in an unstable world. The truth is we need to spend more than 2 per cent of GDP.
Alan Quinn
Prestwich, Lancashire SIR – Michael Fallon, the Defence Secretary, states: “Our manifesto commitment was to spend more on equipment... replace our nuclear deterrent... and not to cut further the size of the regular Army” (report, June 22).
Just how worried should conventional Naval forces, reserves and the whole of the RAF be?
Phil Mobbs
West Hanney, Berkshire SIR – It was recently reported that 10 civilian engineers were flown out to HMS Bulwark to carry out routine maintenance. Sending civilian engineers to an operational ship is a disgrace.
The Navy used to have thousands of highly skilled artificers of all disciplines who maintained the ships. For three years I was a member of a mobile repair unit travelling globally to maintain and repair our ships.
We joined as artificers and for the first three and a half years attended naval engineering colleges. If we passed all academic and trade exams we were then allowed to join the fleet to complete our apprenticeship.
Now our pathetically small Navy cannot even maintain its vessels using naval personnel.
Brian Morrison
Plymstock, Devon SIR – There is massive waste and overspending in defence and the Chancellor is correct to order cuts.
The most wasteful areas include the contracting out to civilian companies of essential services and management in areas such as procurement, finance and recruitment.
Making savings here could allow the Defence Secretary to repair the regular personnel manning disaster and reverse some of the ill-considered cuts in tri-service manpower.
Ken Orme
Liverpool