UK might be left ‘dangerously uncovered’ when it cuts fleet of particular forces plane, sources say

The UK might be left “dangerously exposed” when it cuts a fleet of particular forces plane that performed a key position in evacuating British nationals from Sudan and has transported important ammunition for Ukraine, a number of defence sources have warned.

Internal paperwork seen by Sky News reveal {that a} newer kind of transport aircraft, which is able to take over the position of the C-130J Hercules by the top of subsequent month, remains to be stricken by issues, with two-thirds of the fleet listed as unavailable for flying missions in early May.

Heightening considerations, the Atlas A400M has but to be cleared to carry out all of the “niche” features of the C-130 in particular forces missions – some of the essential areas of defence.

This is known to incorporate dropping a ship out the again of a aircraft for hostage rescue missions at sea. “So that’s the SBS (Special Boat Service) and certain parts of the SAS (Special Air Service) f****d,” a Royal Air Force supply mentioned, talking on situation of anonymity.

It will also be revealed:

• Three C-130 planes took part in the UK’s Sudan evacuation – codenamed “Operation Polarbear” – together with 4 A400M airframes, in response to evaluation by Sky News’ Data & Forensics Unit.
• A senior supply within the Sudanese air drive mentioned various A400M planes – he didn’t know from which nation as different international locations operated them too – precipitated probably the most harm to the runway at an airbase exterior Khartoum that was used for evacuations. The UK has mentioned its engineers carried out “urgent repairs… due to deterioration of the runway surface as a result of the volume of international flights”.
• Three of the 4 British A400M planes thought to have been deployed in Sudan developed faults, in response to an inner doc. One of the plane might be out of motion for weeks. None of the C-130 plane turned “unserviceable”. The Ministry of Defence mentioned all flights have been carried out with “no unserviceable issues”.
• One C-130 aircraft in an emergency standby position needed to ship freight and troops to an RAF base in Cyprus in the course of the Sudan mission as a result of no A400M was out there.

As a part of a serious defence assessment in 2021, the RAF agreed to retire its fleet of 14 C-130 plane inside two years – greater than a decade sooner than deliberate – underneath cost-cutting stress from the Treasury, then headed by Rishi Sunak.

Cutting a whole fleet is likely one of the easiest methods to economize over the long run. But it comes at a value to functionality

Now as prime minister and with battle raging in Ukraine, Mr Sunak faces the uncomfortable actuality of seeing his navy’s functionality to move troops and tools by air shrink at a time of rising safety threats. At the identical time, his C-130s – which nonetheless have many extra years’ value of flying – are already being bought to patrons, together with the US Navy, the Bangladeshi air drive and the Bahraini air drive.

In distinction, France and Germany are investing in a brand new, joint C-130 fleet regardless of each international locations working the A400M as properly.

An RAF supply mentioned ditching the “backbone” of the UK’s transport fleet – the C-130 is utilized by common personnel throughout the navy in addition to particular forces – is “probably one of the worst decisions made in the post-World War 2 era”.

An military officer, with a background in particular forces, simply referred to as it “crazy, crazy, crazy”.

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However, a Ministry of Defence (MOD) spokesperson mentioned the A400M is a extra fashionable and succesful plane than the C-130 and was “central” to the Sudan evacuations, which ran from late April till early May.

“It is a waste of taxpayer money to sustain two types of similar aircraft, which is why the RAF is working at pace to ensure the capability delivered by the C-130J is replicated through Atlas A400M or delivered in a different way,” the spokesperson mentioned.

“We are proud to house the biggest tactical transport fleet seen in the UK for the last 50 years.”

The C-130J got here into service in 1999 as what is called a “tactical transport aircraft”.

This means it will probably airdrop troops, navy equipment or catastrophe aid shops from small airfields in hard-to-reach areas. The planes can fly extremely low, hugging the bottom, to keep away from enemy radars and have the flexibility to drop particular forces at excessive and low altitudes.

Manufactured by the American defence firm Lockheed Martin, the C-130 additionally skilled preliminary “teething problems” when it first entered service but it surely has gone on to develop into some of the trusted airframes within the fleet.

The A400M, constructed by the European aerospace and defence agency Airbus, is a generational improve, in a position to carry extra, fly sooner and go additional.

But it’s a lot bigger so much less in a position to match on all of the completely different number of touchdown strips utilized by the C-130, in response to RAF sources.

An RAF supply and an trade supply mentioned the A400M makes use of two-to-three occasions as a lot gas. It additionally suffers from persistent issues with availability due to faults and different points virtually a decade after the RAF first began working the plane.

An inner doc seen by Sky News, dated 6 May, 2023, listed the service state of the RAF’s transport fleet – a scenario that fluctuates up and down.

On that day, seven of the drive’s 21 A400M plane have been ranked as inexperienced, which meant serviceable – in a position to fly or on a mission already.

Six have been listed underneath a red-colour-coded column marked as “scheduled maintenance/unserviceable” – although one of many six was colored gray. Red sometimes means out of motion for a brief interval, an RAF supply mentioned.

On the spreadsheet, an additional three plane have been colour-coded blue underneath a column entitled “depth maintenance”. This seems to sign a longer-term subject or upkeep work.

The ultimate 5, additionally in blue, have been listed as present process a “trial/upgrade” in Spain.

By distinction, a separate doc confirmed that six out of seven of the RAF’s remaining C-130 fleet have been colour-coded inexperienced – prepared for motion or on operations.

The seventh was marked as pink however solely as a result of it was being readied for “disposal”.

The MOD signalled that availability charges for the A400M have improved by about 25% in contrast with 18 months in the past after elevated efforts by the RAF and Airbus. This determine is anticipated to rise additional within the coming weeks as extra plane return from upgrades.

Figures launched by the MOD supplied a way of the respective contributions by the C-130 and the A400M within the Sudan evacuations.

The newer, bigger plane carried out three extra sorties than the C-130 – 22 in contrast with 19 – and extracted round 1,700 evacuees versus round 700 by the older fleet, in response to the official information.

The bulk of the flights have been out and in of Wadi Seidna, exterior Khartoum. But the plane did additionally fly from Port Sudan.

Analysis by Sky News’ Data & Forensics Unit has recognized three C-130s as being a part of the operation and 4 A400M plane.

The MOD declined to substantiate what number of of both of the plane have been concerned however did word that the A400M carried greater than 240 evacuees on one flight, whereas the utmost load on a C-130 had been about 100 fewer individuals.

However, numbers weren’t launched on which plane introduced out and in probably the most navy personnel concerned within the mission.

“Clearly, the [C-130]J was used fairly heavily during that evacuation,” mentioned Sophy Antrobus, a former RAF officer, whereas stressing that she didn’t know particular particulars.

“If you’re at a stage of an evacuation operation where perhaps people are struggling to get to the location… then you may have to take smaller numbers of people because that’s what you’ve got processed,” mentioned Ms Antrobus, who now works as a analysis fellow on the Freeman Air and Space Institute at King’s College London.

“Therefore, actually, a smaller aircraft can get there and back in a way that makes the absolute maximum of your assets… So there’s all sorts of reasons why the C-130 would have been very important in Sudan.”

In addition to Sudan, Sky News understands {that a} C-130 needed to step in to fly UK particular forces throughout a coaching train within the United States earlier this 12 months as a result of the A400M that was meant to carry out the duty broke down.

In a separate incident, a Middle East tour by the Red Arrows in late 2022 needed to be supported by the C-130 workforce as a result of, but once more, there was not a spare A400M.

The A400M has taken over all of what are referred to as the National Standby roles – plane that have to be on three, six and 12 hours’ discover to maneuver in an emergency,

However, the RAF supply mentioned that the C-130 is incessantly – “literally weekly” – having to be held at short-notice-to-move due to ongoing problems with availability with the A400M.

The C-130 fleet has additionally performed an element within the UK’s assist to Ukraine, transporting ammunition to a base in next-door Poland earlier than it’s moved throughout the border.

Boris Johnson even used one of many plane to fly to Poland earlier than the then prime minister glided by practice to Kyiv in April 2022 on his first go to since Vladimir Putin launched his full-scale battle.

With the UK planning to promote its C-130 fleet, eight of the airframes have already been withdrawn from service. The remaining six, which function out of RAF Brize Norton, a sprawling base in Oxfordshire, will regularly be retired by the top of June.

The transfer will go away the UK “dangerously exposed”, the RAF supply mentioned.

“Especially in the sense of UK special forces’ capabilities. It leaves them without the tools they need to perform their full role.”

Two different sources contained in the RAF in addition to three former RAF officers mentioned they thought it was improper to retire the C-130, particularly when it’s nonetheless wanted.

Robert Courts, a Conservative MP and member of the defence choose committee, mentioned he was “very concerned”.

“At a time when the air mobility force is being asked to do more – it is one of the most heavily tasked bits of defence – we are having less availability of people and of airframes to do it,” Mr Courts mentioned, standing exterior RAF Brize Norton, which is in his constituency.

Andy Netherwood, a former RAF transport plane pilot, mentioned there would not be a kind of aircraft to hold mid-level masses. Chinook helicopters can take something as much as 10 tonnes, the C-130 can carry about 20 tonnes, whereas the A400 is designed to carry about 37 tonnes.

Asked what he the affect of fewer plane is likely to be on the RAF, Mr Netherwood mentioned: “When a disaster occurs or a conflict occurs and there’s a need for the UK to intervene… I’m afraid there’s going to be far fewer options.”

Additional reporting by Yousra Elbagir, Africa correspondent