MoD disregards SDR over Chinooks

Friday, July 24, 2009

The MoD is violating its own recommendations on the supply of Chinooks for operations according to the last Strategic Defence Review (SDR), leaving troops in Afghanistan with approximately 25 per cent of the Chinook requirement it needs.

The latest development in the helicopter saga comes as Defencemanagement.com has learned that four more Chinooks have been taken out of active duty due to "modifications."

According to the 1998 SDR, a force that is similar in size to the 9,100 deployment in Afghanistan should have 47 Chinooks at their disposal. However the latest MoD figures show that only 12 Chinooks are currently based in Afghanistan.

Eight newly converted HC. 2s will be introduced to operations in Helmand in late 2009 or early 2010, but the overall total will still be far short of SDR requirement.

As a result, not only have British troops been forced to use land vehicles for transport, which has led to higher casualties, but also routine helicopter missions have experienced numerous delays. Transporting supplies and the wounded have often been slowed down by the lack of helicopters, in particular Chinooks. In one instance it was reported that troops on patrol in Helmand did not have access to fresh food for six weeks because the helicopter fleet was too overstretched to do a supply drop.

Prime Minister Gordon Brown has repeatedly said that troops have enough helicopters to do the job in Afghanistan.

But Conservative shadow defence minister Gerald Howarth, who discovered the SDR contradiction, disagreed.

"This raises serious questions about Gordon Brown's leadership and his refusal to recognise the damage he has inflicted on Britain's Armed Forces," Howarth said.

The news comes as the MoD as admitted that four Chinooks, or ten per cent of its fleet are undergoing further "modifications" to improve operational performance and to receive "enhanced capabilities."

Of the 40 Chinooks in the RAF, less than half are considered "fit for purpose" however the MoD could rapidly make a number of the aircraft operational if an emergency arose. The four Chinooks undergoing work are considered non-operable, meaning that they could not be activated for service even in an emergency.