Five RAF bases to close in £1bn cuts

[goffer]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jh ... wstop.html

Five RAF bases to close in £1bn cuts
By Michael Smith, Defence Correspondent
(Filed: 02/04/2004)


The Ministry of Defence is planning the biggest cuts in Armed Forces' equipment for decades as part of attempts to save more than £1 billion from the defence budget.

Five RAF bases are to go, with the scrapping of all the RAF's 62 ground-attack Jaguars, all its 79 ground-attack GR7 Harriers and all its 39 Puma helicopters.

The Royal Navy will lose the two carriers Illustrious and Invincible, at least two frigates and its 88 Sea King helicopters, and close four naval storage bases.

The Army will have to close a number of camps on the Salisbury Plain training area and axe at least 50 Challenger 2 tanks, 50 Warrior armoured personnel carriers and all 118 of its Gazelle helicopters.

The cuts are so wide-reaching that ministers are planning to hold back the announcement of some until after a general election.

At least three Scottish infantry battalions are in danger of being amalgamated, a move that could spark a widespread defection of Labour voters north of the border to the Nationalists.

But the Government believes the suggestion by Oliver Letwin, shadow chancellor, that the Conservatives would cut the defence budget, now denied by the Tories, makes it impossible for them to challenge any cuts.

The Royal Scots and the Black Watch, two of the most famous Scottish regiments but both with recruiting problems, are most likely to go.

The overall cuts will lead to 2,000 officers being made redundant across all three services as well as a number of senior NCOs. The large-scale disposals come after the Treasury won its battle with the MoD over cash shortages caused by the adoption of a new accounting system, the cost of expensive new programmes and the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Under the new Resource Account Budgeting system it costs government departments more money to keep open large numbers of bases.

Working groups within the MoD were told to find ways to save money from current equipment to protect projects such as the Navy's two new carriers and the RAF's Eurofighter/Typhoon aircraft.

The RAF bases to close include Coltishall in Norfolk, which houses all the RAF's Jaguar ground-attack aircraft, Wittering in Cambridgeshire, home of Joint Force Harrier, and Benson in Oxfordshire.

Military commanders are furious at the long list.

Nicholas Soames, shadow defence secretary, accused the Defence Secretary, Geoff Hoon, of planning "to wreak havoc on the Forces".

[Noz]

Wittering in Cambridgeshire, home of Joint Force Harrier

That's great. First they move the Naval personnel up there then they close the place.

I always thought that a Labour government wasn't pro forces, now I know it

[Tab]

The full list of Cuts that will come into effect after the next election
62 Jaguars Ground Attack
79 Harriers
39 Pumas
50 Challenger Tanks
50 Warrior light tanks
118 Gazelles
88 Sea King Heilcopters
The Illustrious
The Invincible
2 Frigates
The Royal Scots
The Black Watch
2 bases on the Salisbury Plain
RAF Stations Collishall
Wittering
Benson
These cuts are being made to pay for the Typhon and the two new Carriers. Thats if those carriers ever get built.

[Jason The Argonaut]

All these cut backs is not good advertisement for people looking to join the forces.

I always thought the Labour government were a bunch of back stabbing, lying, cheating, euro loving vermin, and they keep on proving me right.

[bootneck]

The full list of Cuts that will come into effect after the next election
62 Jaguars Ground Attack
79 Harriers
39 Pumas
50 Challenger Tanks
50 Warrior light tanks
118 Gazelles
88 Sea King Heilcopters
The Illustrious
The Invincible
2 Frigates
The Royal Scots
The Black Watch
2 bases on the Salisbury Plain
RAF Stations Collishall
Wittering
Benson
These cuts are being made to pay for the Typhon and the two new Carriers. Thats if those carriers ever get built.

And A Partridge In A Pear Treeeeeee

[MFC]

These cuts are being made to pay for the Typhon and the two new Carriers. Thats if those carriers ever get built

HMS Getting smaller and smaller still

[Guest]

88 helicopters!!!! Nah that cant be right!

Im of the opinion that if theres cuts to be made then the RAF should bear the brunt of them.

[Cobalt]

Such a nice way to compliment the Royal Scots and the Black Watch for their efforts in Iraq.

[Guest]

The best way to see if a base is going to be closed is view the base from a distance then spot through binoculars how many new buildings have been erected recently, like 45 hardened aircraft shelters, three new hangars because as sure as 'eggs is eggs' those are the first of the bases to go.

[tyke172]

URNU, why should the RAF get the brunt of the cuts?

Don't you think thats a bit narrow minded seeing that any military operation is useless without air superiority, ground attack support, air logistics etc.......

[USARMY_]

Your gov't is aware a war is on, aren't they?

[Tab]

US Army of course our Govermnet is aware there is a war on but men are cheaper than weapons.

[USARMY_]

I just think it stinks.

[El Prez]

Gentlefolk. The helicopters to be replaced, all the Gazelles, all the Seakings and all the Pumas are being binned, because, 'they will be replaced by the Merlin'. Well a Merlin creamed in here last week, the fault appears to be a broken part of the tail rotor; a fleet inspection of 42 aircraft has discovered the same fault in the rest of them. The Seakings have already been withdrawn from mothballs to do the jobs Merlins cannot do because of parts shortages etc. The Gazelles have no replacement as yet. (The Appache is not a Gaz equivalent)

So BuffHoon strikes again!