Typhoons Sold For Parts

RAF butchers four Typhoon jets worth £500m for spare parts to keep warplanes flying.

22:00 07 December 2015

The RAF is butchering four state-of-the-art Typhoon fighters, which cost £125million each, for spare parts to keep vital warplanes flying. The revelation came as six Typhoons were sent to RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus to boost the UK mission against Islamic State in Syria.

 

Defence Minister Philip Dunne made the embarrassing admission, saying: “It is routine practice to move parts between aircraft within the RAF Typhoon fleet to ensure optimum aircraft availability.

 

“Four Typhoon aircraft held in the sustainment fleet are currently being used as donor aircraft and consequently are unable to fly.”

 

Four years ago, the Ministry of Defence said that stripping Typhoons built under a deal between the UK, Spain, Italy, and Germany would end by 2015. However, Dr Dunne's admission reveals the problems are ongoing.

 

Meanwhile, the Commons Public Accounts Committee previously revealed that five Typhoon pilots were temporarily grounded in 2010.

 

He explained; “The department relies on a small group of key industrial suppliers who have the technical and design capability to build, upgrade and support Typhoon,” the committee said in 2011.

 

“Problems with the availability of spare parts have meant that Typhoons are not flying as many hours as the department requires.

 

“The Typhoon supply chain is complex and stretches across Europe. However, the department admitted that it had not been managed well enough or delivered all the required parts when needed.”