Press Release - Ministry of Defence - Battlefield
Helicopters
7 April 2004
Pooling the Royal Navy's, Army's and Royal Air Force's
battlefield helicopters has brought significant benefits, Sir John
Bourn, the head of the National Audit Office, told Parliament
today. Efficiencies have been produced through a joined up
approach, by standardising procedures and removing duplication, but
there is a large shortfall in helicopter capability and further
improvements can be made.
The important role of battlefield helicopters has been
bolstered by the formation of the Joint Helicopter
Command
The formation of the Joint Helicopter Command has brought added
focus to the organisation of battlefield helicopters. It has helped
to harmonise disparate operating and engineering standards, and is
further able to draw upon equipment and personnel from the three
Services. This has led to greater efficiencies in operational
deployment. It has, for example, prevented such situations as in
Bosnia in 1996 when the separate Services deployed some 40 per cent
too many helicopters, duplicating capabilities.
There is a shortfall in helicopter
capability
The United Kingdom’s battlefield helicopter force is one of the
largest and most capable in Europe. The deployment of 77
helicopters on Operation TELIC was the largest operation yet
undertaken by the Joint Helicopter Command, and helicopters made a
key contribution in a wide range of roles. The provision of
battlefield helicopters is however considerably short of what the
Department requires. There is an overall shortfall of 38 per cent.
This figure does not relate to helicopter numbers but to the
ability to move personnel and equipment between locations. For
amphibious battlefield helicopters, this shortfall is as high as 87
per cent. On current plans, these shortfalls will persist until
2017-18. If the Department were to give its personnel as much time
to rest and recuperate as its own guidelines set out, the deficit
in overall helicopter availability would rise from 38 per cent to
66 per cent.
The battlefield helicopter fleet should be equipped for
operations across the spectrum of conflict and for various
environmental conditions. Shortfalls are especially apparent in the
areas of communications, helicopter protection, including sand
filters, and nuclear, biological, and chemical protection for
aircrew. These shortages were partly remedied for the operations in
Iraq by Urgent Operational Requirements. The Department should
review capability provided through this process, and ensure that
essential capability is incorporated into the baseline standard of
the helicopter.
The Department's Search and Rescue fleet is not resourced to
deploy overseas. This has meant that in Iraq, for example, the UK
Armed Forces have had to rely upon US assets for overland Search
and Rescue, and for the recovery of downed Service personnel on
operations.
Enhancements could be made to maximise the efficiency of
procuring, supporting and operating battlefield
helicopters
Despite advances in the joint provision of flying training,
further improvements can be made. Qualified pilots often do not
have the recommended levels of flying training time to maintain
their skills because of operational demands and a lack of
helicopters. Furthermore, the separate Services' approach to
training new pilots is inconsistent and could be streamlined
further.
Aircrew ranks should be reviewed to determine whether
non-commissioned officers should be allowed to fly helicopters
across the three Services and not only in the Army.
Important lessons can be learned from the flawed procurement of
eight Chinook HC3 helicopters, which were originally intended to be
introduced into service in November 1998. The Department is
considering a number of options regarding how best to achieve the
required capability. To bring the helicopters up to the standard of
the existing Chinook fleet would require expenditure of
approximately £127 million. They would not enter service until
mid-2007.
Sir John said today:
"Battlefield helicopters play a vital role in today’s
military. We saw this in Iraq where they demonstrated their
importance, for example, in supporting the assault to secure the Al
Faw peninsula. The MOD is to be congratulated on the improvements
made through the Joint Helicopter Command. However, more is to be
done if the significant shortfall in helicopter capability is not
to limit operations in the future."
Notes for Editors
- Press notices and reports are available from the date of
publication on the NAO website,
which is now at www.nao.org.uk. Hard copies can be
obtained from The Stationery Office
on 0845 702 3474.
- The Comptroller and Auditor General, Sir John Bourn, is the
head of the National Audit Office which employs some 800 staff. He
and the NAO are totally independent of Government. He certifies the
accounts of all Government departments and a wide range of other
public sector bodies; and he has statutory authority to report to
Parliament on the economy, efficiency and effectiveness with which
departments and other bodies have used their resources.
Press Notice 28/04
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