RAF to scrap Sentinel surveillance aircraft due to cuts
June 16, 2017
In the short term the fleet will go from 5 to 4 as the RAF are forced to cut one of the aircraft,
a unique capability in Europe,
in order to save money.
It is understood now that a push to extend the service of the aircraft to 2021 has been unsuccessful.
Speaking to a source in the Royal Air Force, we were told:
“This has been a long time coming, the platform has had reprieves but the impression we had was that Sentinel was living on borrowed time.
This is hugely disappointing and incredibly short sighted.”
The Sentinel is an airborne battlefield and ground surveillance aircraft
based on the Bombardier Global Express ultra long range business jet
and serves a role similar to JSTARS with the RAF,
the jet was adapted by Raytheon to meet the RAF’s requirements.
Sentinel was originally known as the ASTOR (Airborne STand-Off Radar) programme.
In 2014, Prime Minister David Cameron announced the retention of the aircraft in the face of their expected retirement due to budget cuts.
Last October, Minister for Defence Procurement, Harriett Baldwin
announced a £131.5 million support contract for RAF’s Sentinel surveillance aircraft.
The deal with Raytheon UK will provide the Sentinel aircraft with in-service support and maintenance,
meaning it can continue to meet the RAF’s operational requirements.
With the ability to gather intelligence on enemy movements and track specific targets, the Sentinel remains a key element in the UK’s operations against Daesh in Syria and Iraq.
Minister for Defence Procurement, Harriett Baldwin said:
“Sentinel aircraft provide vital intelligence to our Armed Forces, giving them the ability to make decisions that helps keep Britain safe, including on current operations against Daesh.
As part of our £178 billion equipment plan,
this contract is supported by a Defence budget that will rise every year until the end of the decade,
meeting the NATO commitment to spend 2% of GDP on Defence.
This new support contract will sustain 160 jobs across the UK and demonstrates the very tangible benefits which Defence is bringing to the nation’s economy.”
Despite this often touted £178 billion equipment plan, there will now be a cut in numbers and eventual scrapping of the capability.
RAF to scrap Sentinel surveillance aircraft due to cuts
June 16, 2017
In the short term the fleet will go from 5 to 4 as the RAF are forced to cut one of the aircraft,
a unique capability in Europe,
in order to save money.
It is understood now that a push to extend the service of the aircraft to 2021 has been unsuccessful.
Speaking to a source in the Royal Air Force, we were told:
“This has been a long time coming, the platform has had reprieves but the impression we had was that Sentinel was living on borrowed time.
This is hugely disappointing and incredibly short sighted.”
The Sentinel is an airborne battlefield and ground surveillance aircraft
based on the Bombardier Global Express ultra long range business jet
and serves a role similar to JSTARS with the RAF,
the jet was adapted by Raytheon to meet the RAF’s requirements.
Sentinel was originally known as the ASTOR (Airborne STand-Off Radar) programme.
In 2014, Prime Minister David Cameron announced the retention of the aircraft in the face of their expected retirement due to budget cuts.
Last October, Minister for Defence Procurement, Harriett Baldwin
announced a £131.5 million support contract for RAF’s Sentinel surveillance aircraft.
The deal with Raytheon UK will provide the Sentinel aircraft with in-service support and maintenance,
meaning it can continue to meet the RAF’s operational requirements.
With the ability to gather intelligence on enemy movements and track specific targets, the Sentinel remains a key element in the UK’s operations against Daesh in Syria and Iraq.
Minister for Defence Procurement, Harriett Baldwin said:
“Sentinel aircraft provide vital intelligence to our Armed Forces, giving them the ability to make decisions that helps keep Britain safe, including on current operations against Daesh.
As part of our £178 billion equipment plan,
this contract is supported by a Defence budget that will rise every year until the end of the decade,
meeting the NATO commitment to spend 2% of GDP on Defence.
This new support contract will sustain 160 jobs across the UK and demonstrates the very tangible benefits which Defence is bringing to the nation’s economy.”
Despite this often touted £178 billion equipment plan, there will now be a cut in numbers and eventual scrapping of the capability.
A lot of text for the retirement of one single aircraft!
A bid to reverse budget proposals to retire the UK Royal Air Force's (RAF's) fleet
of Raytheon Sentinel R1 Airborne Stand-Off Radar (ASTOR)
aircraft appears to have been rebuffed.
During the UK Ministry of Defence's annual budget round, known as ABC17,
air force chiefs were pushing to extend the service of the fleet of five Sentinel R1 aircraft,
but Jane's understands these moves were unsuccessful.
At the same time,
the RAF was seeking to reverse immediate budget cuts that mandated the retirement of one of the aircraft from use this year.
This was also turned down
because of the tight financial position faced by the ministry,
which is facing rising costs
due to a drop in the value of the UK's currency and
lower-than-expected returns from an ongoing programme of civilian staff cuts and property sell-offs.
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