[holding answer 9 January 2007]: The following table shows the number of RAF aircraft that were planned to be in service at the end of March of each year.
March 1997 March 2006 Fighterl 356 3794 Training2 473 4075 Tanker and Transport 1023 87 Reconnaissance 19 206 Maritime Patrol Aircraft 26 217 Helicopters 167 1328 1 Increase in numbers from 1997 due to change in accounting methodology. 2 Includes trainer variants of Fighter aircraft. 3 Actual numbers were 100. The planned figure does not reflect the retirement of two BAe 125 aircraft. 4 Actual numbers were 372. The planned figure does not reflect the reduction of four Typhoon aircraft as a result of the contractual re-alignment of the Typhoon aircraft delivery schedule; a Tornado F3 that crashed in 2005; the reduction in two Harrier GR7s; one following a crash and one re-categorised as a test-bed aircraft by BAe systems. 5 Actual numbers were 395. The planned figure does not reflect the reduction of one Harrier as a result of the upgrade programme from Harrier T10 to T12, the fact that four Harrier T8s went out of service, the reduction of four Tucano aircraft and a reduction of three in overall glider numbers. 6 Actual numbers were 17. The Sentinel aircraft have not yet been delivered. 7 Actual numbers were 16. The planned figure does not reflect the fact that four Nimrod MR2 were retired for the MRA4 programme and for spares and one was retired as a result of the Medium Term Work Strands. 8 For JHC assets, figures shown are total operating fleet.