Developing Engineers

The Nimrod MR4A has been cancelled in the Defence Review (photo courtesy of Royal Navy © Crown Copyright/MOD 2007)

As the government cuts its losses on Nimrod – Where does this leave Britain’s military aero-industry? The decision comes as the entire Harrier fleet is retired – delivering a symbolic shift away from British aircraft.

Harrier will be replaced by the Joint-Strike Fighter, but not for another ten years! BAe is a junior partner in the STOVL (Short Take-off and Vertical Landing) aircraft – but it is a Lockheed Martin and will be built in the US.

Despite the Defence Review – the writing has been on the wall for the Nimrod MR4A ever since the RAF bought Boeing E-3 Sentry AWACS (Airbourne Warning and Control System) in the 90s. Even then it was running late and over budget. Despite being based on the 1950s Comet 4 airliner it would have kept high-tech early warning radar development within these shores – rather than relying on the expensive American alternative ($270m in 1987).

But the cost of the AWACS now looks better value compared to Nimrod. Last year with escalating costs the order was cut from 21 to 9 – quadrupling the cost per aircraft to £400m. Its cancellation was no surprise – over budget, 8 years late and still not ready!

Harrier and Nimrod are the last British designed and engineered military front-line aircraft – and their passing is symbolic of the decline of the British aircraft industry. Not of today – but the last forty years when high costs have seen companies forced into joint-ventures.

Rolls-Royce remain an important player in developing engines for today’s aircraft, and BAe are a partner in such aircraft as Eurofighter, the Joint-Strike Fighter and the Airbus A400M. But the day of the British designed and engineered warplane from Spitfire, Hurricane and Lancaster to Lightning, Harrier and Nimrod is well and truly over.

HMS Ark Royal will be decommissioned immediately (photo courtesy of Royal Navy © Crown Copyright/MOD 2010)

As the Defence Review’s cuts hit home – the armed forces have been hit hard. It was thought one of the new carriers would be cancelled, but it now looks like it may be built – but sold after three years!

Last time Britain thought of selling a new carrier was April 1982. Then Argentina invaded the Falklands and the rest is history – the deal with Australia was shelved as HMS Invincible lived up to her name.

Critics say if the Falklands were invaded today – Britain couldn’t do a repeat performance. HMS Ark Royal is being decommissioned, and the entire fleet of 80 Harriers withdrawn – leaving Britain unable to mount another unsupported attack until the Joint Strike Fighter arrives in 2020. 

The new generation of nuclear submarines are postponed until at least 2028 – that’s four years after the Vanguard-class are to be scrapped. The cuts also mean finally cancelling Nimrod. No surprise – but where does this leave the British aircraft industry?

The army has also seen its Challenger 2 tanks cut by 40% and the decision on Trident has been put off for six years – or in other words until after the next election. Tories and Labour support a nuclear deterrent while the Liberals ask ‘Does Britain need Trident?’

Plans for HMS Prince of Wales look like being scuttled - the last HMS Prince of Wales (above) was sunk off Malaya in 1941 (photo courtesy of the online library of the US Navy)

The imminent ‘Defence Review‘ which plans to bring the MoD into line with all other government departments – will mean the loss of thousands of engineering jobs. Defence isn’t ring-fenced, so faces cuts of up to 40%.

This is likely to mean cutting one of the two 65,000ton ‘Queen Elizabeth’ class aircraft carriers planned for delivery in 2016. HMS Queen Elizabeth is well underway, but the second ship HMS Prince of Wales looks likely to be cancelled with a saving of £2.5billion.

The RAF and Navy are also reported to have their order for Lockheed Martin/BAe F-35 Lightning II fighter aircraft slashed from 130 to 50. Cuts to the STOVL (short take-off and vertical landing) US-built Harrier replacement will save the tax-payer a further £8billion.

The cuts have been the talk of this week’s Tory Party Conference, with leaked letters and rumours of a rift between Defence Secretary Liam Fox and PM David Cameron.

There has even been talk of saving costs by having a joint nuclear deterrent with the French – This would be nothing new for BAe who have long had continental bedfellows through Eurofighter, Tornado and Jaguar.

What is not just talk will be the very real loss of engineering jobs – an inevitable consequence of taking over £10billion out of the industry.