On Wed, 10 Dec 2003 10:56:41 -0000, Keith Willshaw wrote:

"phil hunt" wrote in message
...
Earlier this year, the British govmt spent GBP 800 million on 20
Hawk Mk 128 trainer aircraft.

In a highly unusual step, the MoD's permanent secretary, Sir Kevin
Tebbit, refused to sign the contract because he thought it was a
waste of money. He only signed when his boss, Defence Secretary
Geoff Hoon, told him to.

Is GBP 40m too much for a trainer? Certainly, one can buy many
fighter aircraft for less. The Eurofighter's unit cost isn't much
more.


That depends on how you define the cost. In this case the report I
have states

"The company's bid is understood to offer a total training solution, under
which the RAF will supply only fuel and instructors (who will be converted
to the new aircraft by BAE). BAE will provide 11,076 flying hours per year
(with a possibility of extending this to 16,000 hours"

http://www.flightdailynews.com/paris...fence/bae.shtm

Comparing such a bid with the flyaway price is scarcely valid.

Indeed, it would be. But if you look at:
http://politics.guardian.co.uk/homea...1,00.html?=rss

it seems to imply that GBP 800m is the cost of the aircraft, and a
separate sum of GBP 2700m is for servicing them for 25 years.


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