Harrier fleet sold to US military

[alp227]

Source: The Guardian

The UK's biggest military projects are more than £6bn over budget, and are suffering from further delays despite attempts to bring them under stricter control, according to the government spending watchdog.

The National Audit Office report also states that the UK faces a potential shortage of attack submarines because of cost-cutting decisions taken in last year's strategic defence and security review.

In a 70-page study, the NAO says the total cost of 15 equipment programmes has reached £59.6bn, and that – on average – they will be 30 months late into service. The watchdog says the MoD is still reeling from mistakes made more than a decade ago, but concedes that the department is slowly bringing things under control.

Margaret Hodge, the chair of the public accounts committee, described the overspend as "shocking", and said that "delaying projects and reducing what they deliver is not a sensible way to invest in defence".

Read more: http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2011/nov/16/harrier-fleet-sold-us-military

[Turbineguy]

1. Those boys must have learned their trade

in the U.S.A.

[Lurks Often]

2. The UK got rid of it's last jump jet carrier

and has no use for the Harrier. The Marines are still using the Harrier until/if the JSF variant designed for the Marines use is delivered.

As an aside, the UK and France are working together to design and build one or more carriers in the 50,000 ton range to operate aircraft, the UK the JSF and the French probably the Rafele.

[Angleae]

7. They still have one of the carriers, HMS Illustrious

[Lurks Often]

8. Which is being used to carry helicopters only nt

[Angleae]

9. They plan on retiring her when HMS Ocean finishes her refit.

Sometime around 2014.

[Spider Jerusalem]

10. There are currently two carriers under construction for the Royal Navy

HMS Queen Elizabeth and HMS Prince of Wales, which won't enter service until 2017-2018 (and the last I saw they're planning to move from V/STOL to CATOBAR variants of the F35).

[Angleae]

11. HMS Queen Elizabeth is not expected to enter service until 2020 at earliest.

HMS Prince of Wales in 2023 and Yes they have moved to CATOBAR.

[TexasProgresive]

3. Not your fault but

that headline has nothing to do with the (whole) following story. The only mention of the Harriers is in the headline and a picture and caption.

[customerserviceguy]

4. Leave it to the British

to invent an airplane that curtsies.

[Kolesar]

5. Wow

Caught me off guard with that one :rofl:

[Nihil]

6. That came from the marketing department as a sure fire way ...

> Leave it to the British
> to invent an airplane that curtsies

... to sell it to the US military!

:P