RAF To Get "Stored" Aircraft

Steyr

http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2010/01/13/337098/uk-set-to-seal-nimrod-replacement-deal.html

Aircraft

DATE:13/01/10
SOURCE:Flight InternationalUK set to seal Nimrod replacement deal
By Craig Hoyle

The UK Ministry of Defence will sign a contract within the next few weeks to replace its British Aerospace Nimrod R1 electronic intelligence aircraft, having deemed the capability an essential element of its future military equipment inventory.

Once finalised, the deal will advance the planned acquisition of three stored Boeing RC-135 Rivet Joint airframes from the US government. These will be modified for operational use by L-3 Communications Integrated Systems in the USA.

Confirming that a previous proposal to modify BAE Systems' three development examples of the Royal Air Force's new-generation Nimrod MRA4 maritime patrol and surveillance aircraft has been rejected, a senior military source says the Rivet Joint contract will be signed "within weeks".

"We have the approvals, and we have an agreement. We just don't have a contract yet," the source adds.

Long-term activities with the RAF's three Nimrod R1s had appeared to be at risk following the MoD's surprise move in December to accelerate the retirement of its remaining Nimrod MR2 maritime patrol aircraft. Its last Kinloss-based MR2s will stop flying by 31 March, a year sooner than previously planned, and two years before the last of nine replacement MRA4s will be handed over.

The military source says operations with the R1 will be safeguarded until the new Rivet Joint assets become available, partially by using cost savings generated by the MR2 fleet retirement. "There will be no capability gap," the source adds.

EchoIndia

Since there are no RC-135s in storage, it has been generally assumed that these will be new conversions of suitable other C-135 variants currently held in storage.

Steyr

EchoIndia wrote: »

Since there are no RC-135s in storage, it has been generally assumed that these will be new conversions of suitable other C-135 variants currently held in storage.

Read above, they are indeed stored. Seems like a bit of a step backwards replacing aircraft delivered in the early 70s with aircraft built in 1964

EchoIndia

Steyr wrote: »

Read above, they are indeed stored. Seems like a bit of a step backwards replacing aircraft delivered in the early 70s with aircraft built in 1964

My point was that, yes, the airframes are stored, but assuming they are tankers they will have to be largely rebuilt (and re-engined, I expect) to render them into the RC-135 variant. One assumes they will select aircraft with good fatigue life remaining. I have seen it written that the KC-135 could continue in service for another 20-30 years, so these aircraft should be good for quite few years' use. Anyway, as the Nimrod was largely a Comet 4C with "bits added", it is arguably just as old a design as the C-135.

Dacian

Its a cost issue. The Nimrods are expensive to maintain so the RAF saves by retiring them and using the second-hand Rivet Joints. This saves them a bit of cash untill the MR4 Nimrod comes online. However was reading Combat Aircraft yesterday,it says that for budget reasons they may keep the Rivet Joints for a few years,meaning the first MR4 Nimrods could go straight into storage until the MoD released funds to operate them.

The same article talks about how the RAF have ordered additional Chinooks to be in service wards the end of 2013. This is a good PR move as its shows 'support' for the troops on the ground in Afghanistan. However Boeing at the moment only produce the CH-47F variant which differs from the UK HC3 version, thus any new deliveries cannot go straight into service,they would need compatibility testing/training. That means the date of 2013 in service is unachievable

The Brits seems to be chopping costs in the short term but hobbling themselves in the longterm. Same with the tanker contract,no large initial purchase costs,but higher price over the course of the contract to the private tanker company.