Military Aircraft: Expenditure Dr. Fox To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the total expenditure was on transport aircraft (a) procurement and (b) maintenance by his Department in each year since 1997. Mr. Bob Ainsworth The RAF air transport fleet is comprised of C-17, Hercules C-130J/K, Tristar, VC10, BAE 125 and BAE 146 aircraft. Between 1996 and 2000, the MOD introduced 25 Hercules C-130J aircraft into service with the RAF. The total procurement cost for these aircraft was US$ 1.4 billion; however, the costing profile is not readily available and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. Two additional C-17 aircraft are due to be delivered to the RAF later this year. I am withholding information on procurement costs as its disclosure would prejudice commercial interests. A number of areas within the Department incur maintenance expenditure on the RAF’s air transport fleet. The financial information requested is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. The figures provided in the following table are the logistic support costs that can be directly attributed to the fixed wing aircraft fleets in the financial years for which costs are readily available. The table does not include contract lease costs for three commercially owned military registered Agusta A109E helicopters which are used in the VIP transport role, as disclosure would prejudice commercial interests. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |Financial year |£ million| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |2002-03 |218 | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |2003-04 |229 | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |2004-05 |207 | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |2005-06 |210 | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |2006-07 |249 | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |Notes:1. Costings for financial years prior to 2002-03 are incomplete and are not included.2. These figures include the lease cost of four C-17 aircraft. Disclosure of the value of the lease would prejudice commercial interests.3. Defence Equipment and Support staff costs are not included.4. Costs have been rounded to the nearest million.| | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------