Warning over foreign jets for Red Arrows
Fears rise that vital British jobs and knowledge will disappear if Government refuses to place new order
The former chief of the Royal Air Force has joined forces with MPS to warn that Britain could lose vital jobs and know-how unless new Hawk jets are ordered for the Red Arrows. Air Chief Marshal Sir Michael Graydon said the RAF may be forced to use foreign jets unless politicians intervene.
THE Red Arrows risk being reduced to also-rans if they are forced to adopt foreign-built aircraft, a former head of the Royal Air Force has said.
Air Chief Marshal Sir Michael Graydon said it was vital for the aerobatics team to fly British aircraft after 142 MPS warned the Prime Minister their jets may have to be bought from overseas unless the Government intervenes.
A cross-party letter has called for orders of replacements of the Red Arrows’ Hawk T1 jet to be brought forward to save jobs at BAE Systems and keep production in the UK.
BAE announced last week it is planning to cut nearly 2,000 skilled manufacturing jobs. Many are in the defence giant’s aircraft sector, where orders for Typhoon fighter jets have slowed.
The MPS’ letter warned that if Britain waits until the scheduled retirement date of 2030 to replace the Hawks, the UK may have lost the ability to build a replacement.
Without new orders, production is due to close in 2019. They said: “If the Red Arrows are allowed to continue flying Hawk T1 aircraft until 2030, and the UK has lost the capability and skills to build a replacement aircraft of any type with a similar flight capability, then any future Red Arrows Aerobatics team would have to have its aircraft procured from abroad, which would be devastating for both the aerospace industry in Great Britain and also for the UK economy.”
Sir Michael said their role as ambassadors for Britain meant its was fundamental their aircraft had to be British. The display team regularly tours the world to fly the flag for British industry.
Last year it toured China, India and the Far East and tecently returned from a tour of the Gulf. Sir Michael said: “What do the Red Arrows stand for? The best of British.
“Not only do we see British expertise, but the whole structure of the thing revolves around Britain. British aircraft kept going with British engineering and British skill.
“You can’t send them to China in the future as part of exporting the British image and have them flying Italian aeroplanes. I personally think the prospect of being anything other than just another also-ran if you didn’t have British planes would be tiny.”
Air-vice Marshal Andrew Roberts, another retired senior RAF officer, said: “The Red Arrows are very British and having a non-british aircraft might reduce the impact.”
Around 40per cent of a new Hawk is manufactured at BAE’S site at Brough, East Yorkshire and the rest at Warton and Samlesbury in Lancashire.
“By ordering a new fleet of planes to be used by the iconic RAF aerobatic display team, the Government will not only help to mitigate the job losses, but will also guarantee the continued production of the Hawk in the UK,” the letter said. The T1 aircraft used by the Red Arrows has had its out-of-service date extended by 10 years to 2030.
The letter also warned that the age of the Red Arrows fleet, which entered service in the 1970s, was affecting their reliability to perform.
A Ministry of Defence spokesman said: “There is no requirement to replace the Red Arrows Hawk T1 aircraft.
“The Hawk T1 is due to remain in service until 2030. Any decision about replacements is unlikely to be taken until after the end of this Parliament.”