The Defence Committee has today (14 January) published a report
on the Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP), welcoming the
programme's progress but cautioning the need to stay on track to
meet the in-service target date of 2035.
The Global Combat Air Programme is an international partnership
between the UK, Japan and Italy which will design, manufacture,
and deliver a next-generation crewed combat aircraft.
Controlling costs and multi-year funding
With increasing pressure on the defence budget, the report calls
for Government and industry to keep tight control of the costs of
GCAP. It calls on Government to consider a multi-year funding
arrangement to put the programme on a secure footing and provide
international partners with confidence in the UK's ongoing
commitment.
Additionally, there must be transparency around the programme's
budget, and information on costs should be made available to
Parliament and the public as GCAP proceeds.
Retaining a skilled workforce
The defence industry is facing fierce competition from other
sectors for skilled workers. While GCAP is a welcome opportunity
to attract new talent into the UK's combat air industry, the
focus cannot just be on the recruitment of new apprentices into
industry primes.
Today's report calls for a holistic approach to recruitment and
retention that ensures that the existing Typhoon manufacturing
workforce is transitioned onto GCAP. This will be a challenge,
given dwindling production of Typhoon in the UK and the gap until
full-scale production of Tempest is underway.
The report calls the failure to capitalise on the success of the
Hawk trainer aircraft remarkably short-sighted and deeply
regrettable.
Maintaining pace to meet an ambitious timescale
The report describes GCAP's timescale as ambitious. It
underscores the need for delivery structures at governmental and
industrial levels to be sufficiently empowered to take timely and
binding decisions as the programme progresses.
Chair of the Defence Committee, MP, said:
“GCAP is an exciting opportunity to make the fighter jet of the
future. The world is an increasingly volatile and dangerous place
and new air power capabilities – such as those promised by GCAP –
will be essential if we are to meet the challenges ahead.
“While today's report welcomes GCAP, it also cautions that the
MOD must have a firm grip on the programme.
“All too often multilateral defence programmes are beset with
soaring costs and mounting delays. GCAP must break the mould.
“GCAP's timescales are ambitious – we have a window of
opportunity now, at this early stage, to make choices that set
the programme on the right track. If we are to maintain pace and
meet the 2035 target, the programme must be structured to enable
the right people to make timely and binding decisions.
“History shows us that costs can easily spiral, but pressures on
the UK's defence budget mean there is no margin for
mismanagement.
“The MOD should take a holistic approach to recruitment and
skills. While we should seek out and nurture budding talent, the
UK already has a workforce with a wealth of experience and
expertise. The MOD should work with those skilled workers,
including those currently working on Typhoon, to bring them onto
GCAP. The UK's proud history in combat air manufacturing is
rooted in its workforce: it's people that will be key to the
success of GCAP, and the MOD must ensure that they are
prioritised.”
