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UK urged to review military equipment purchases

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

London, March 27, IRNA
UK-Military Equipment
The British government was urged Thursday to review its military equipment purchases in the light of continuing delays with key programs.

The parliamentary Defence Committee said the Ministry of Defence (MoD) needed to take the "difficult decisions which will lead to a realistic and affordable equipment program.

In a new report, the all-party group of MPs commended the MoD's Defence Equipment and Support organisation for the speed at which it is getting urgently needed equipment to UK armed forces in Iraq and Afghanistan but highlighted concerns about acquisitions.

"For too long the MoD has had an unaffordable equipment program and needs to confront the problem rather than giving the usual response of salami-slicing and moving programs," committee chair James Arbuthnot said.

"A realistic equipment program will give confidence to our armed forces that the programs that remain will be delivered in the numbers and to the timescale required, and will also allow industry to make informed investment decisions," Arbuthnot said.

He said it was "disappointing that the first of the Navy's two new aircraft carriers will not have new aircraft to operate from it when it enters service because of delays on the Joint Strike Fighter aircraft program" with the US.

The Nimrod MRA4 maritime patrol aircraft program, the chairman also said, goes from "bad to worse - almost "800 million over budget and forecast to be nearly 8 years late."

Delays on the JSF program mean that the aircraft will not be available to operate from the first of the two new aircraft carriers which, on current plans, is expected to enter service in 2014.

"The MoD must carefully examine whether it should cut its losses and withdraw from this sorry saga of defence equipment," Arbuthnot warned in releasing the report.

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