UK 2021 Defence Review

[Firebird]

I don't if anybody read this, or even knows about this, but there are a couple of nuggets that will be of interest to all here.
Firstly, all the RAF C-130s will be withdrawn next year for sale.
Secondly, the number of E-7s being bought has been reduced from 5 to 3.

[TimC340]

To add to that

9 CH47s to be withdrawn
24 Typhoons to go
36 Hawk T1's to go
20 Pumas to go
The E3Ds are withdrawn (I believe with immediate effect).

[vortex471]

I've heard the 9 Chinooks are 9 older ZA serials that are stored at Boscombe and have not been upgraded from HC4...the legendary Bravo November is one of them.
It sounds like a few C130s will be kept for Special Forces as the A400 doesnt have all the capabilities signed off yet...not to mention a lack of parts for the A400M so bad there are A400s sat at Brize allocated to pull parts off to keep the fleet going.
As for the Pumas, this may be similar to the Harrier...losing the capability before the successor even exists. Nothing we have can do urban ops like the Puma, I just hope they will delay it.
Also notice Gazelle and Bell 212 aren't in the future plans.

[Firebird]

Yes the Gazelles and 412s are being withdrawn as well. Apparently, those and the Pumas will be replaced with a new Medium Lift helo later in the decade.
The Tiffs are the early F2/T1s. The 9x Chinooks are being replaced with a similar number of new CH-47Gs.

I really can't understand the 3x E-7s. If you take into account that once in service one will nearly always be in maintenance I struggle to see how 2 can be sufficient for home use. Use abroad just can't happen.
I could see how it might work if they kept the Sentinels but they are being withdrawn this year.

[TimC340]

The Sentinels have already ceased ops, I believe. Yes, the Typhoons are Tranche 1 aircraft, but there are no later aircraft to replace them. No mention of the 90-odd F35s from the planned 138 still awaiting an order.

My contacts in the C130 fleet don't believe that any will be retained past the end of next year. The A400 will have to take the load, ready or not. A further order of A400s was teased, but no numbers mentioned.

The E-7 seems to be on thin ice now. There have been suggestions that the remaining E-3Ds get absorbed by the NATO E-3 unit at Geilenkirchen, and the UK becomes a customer for that capability. Whether there's any truth in that, I have no idea.

Oh, one less Hawk T1 to have to retire after the Navy threw one away this morning. Both pilots injured but OK.

[TimC340]

According to theaviationgeekclub.com (among others), the entire fleet of 76 Hawk T1s is to be withdrawn. The future of the Red Arrows depends on sponsorship being raised; what aircraft they might use in future is not addressed. The article says that the outstanding order for 90 F35s will be abandoned in favour of Tempest, which is unlikely to enter service until the late 2030s. I have no idea how reliable this info is, but it is reported in a number of locations.

[tango234]

Whether that is true I don't know but as ever there seems to be a lot of guff going around to be wary of.

[TimC340]

Well, there's no doubt that the Hawk fleet is getting very old and has had a hard life. I picked up a couple of the last T1s to be built in 1979, and the first were already 3 years old by then. While the 36 is the official number to be retired, I'd be surprised if that isn't the declared operational strength of the entire fleet. The absence of further F35 orders is credible, given that a roadmap of future defence spending was announced and those 90 F35s would be a significant proportion of that.

Basically, if you're not in the nuke sub or AI hardware business, this is a very significant cut in defence capabilities.