The Red Arrows face being grounded for years because of Keir Starmer‘s dithering over defence spending, it is claimed today.
Defence sources have told The Mail on Sunday the year-long delay to the defence investment plan (DIP), finally published last week, means it is now ‘almost impossible’ for the RAF to have a replacement aircraft ready for the Red Arrows by the time the display team’s ageing Hawk jets retire in 2030.
In a hugely embarrassing move, this would result in the famous display team being ‘stood down’ for several years until the replacement jets became operational, it is claimed.
The claims come as the Red Arrows today joined a spectacular flypast over New York City to mark America’s 250th anniversary of independence.
It is part of a month-long tour of the US, with the display team’s pilots, dressed in their famous red flying suits, posing for photographs in Times Square on Friday.
In May the RAF revealed it is cutting the number of jets in many of the Red Arrows aerobatic displays this summer to seven from the usual nine.
The reduction, which did not include today’s display, was imposed so the engines of the display team’s Hawk T1 aircraft, which are more than 40 years old, can be rotated, amid growing maintenance pressures.
After a marathon delay, the DIP committed to investing £360million in developing a new ‘British Jet Trainer System’, which will include ‘new jets for the Red Arrows to replace the ageing Hawk aircraft’.
The famous Red Arrows could be ‘stood down’ for several years until replacement jets became operational – amid accusations of Government ‘dithering’ over defence spending. Pictured: The squad was seen over New York on Saturday
The Red Arrows today joined a spectacular flypast over New York City to mark America’s 250th anniversary of independence
The Red Arrows crew were pictured in New York on Friday before their spectacular display
But the MoD now has just three-and-a-half years to launch a procurement competition, choose a replacement aircraft and for those jets to be built and authorised for aerobatic displays and for aircrews to be trained.
The Ministry of Defence (MoD) would this weekend only say it was an ‘aspiration’ for the Red Arrows to have its replacement aircraft in place by 2030.
Tim Ripley, editor of the Defence Eye website, said: ‘You are looking at a four year-plus time scale from signing on the dotted line with the manufacturer to a working jet being delivered to the RAF.
‘The Red Arrows requirement throws in added complications. After the basic conversion to the aircraft, to do aerobatic flying, pilots would need a period of rehearsals and training to get ready for displays. On top of that the jets would need to go through the stringent RAF safety trials.
‘Most experts would say this is almost impossible to do in the time the Red Arrows have left on the Hawk.’
Andrew Brookes, a retired RAF Wing Commander, said: ‘I don’t think they have a chance of getting the new aircraft for Red Arrows by 2030 if they have a competition and go to the market. No one gripped this and everyone from the MoD, the Treasury and Keir Starmer just sat on their hands, leading to this mess.’
Ben Obese-Jecty, a Tory MP and former Army officer, said: ‘The delay to the Defence Investment Plan has led to a delay to replacing the Hawk. The Government’s failure to procure a replacement in time for 2030 illustrates Labour’s entire approach to defence; too little, too late.’
Greg Bagwell, a retired Air Marshal who served as Deputy Commander at RAF Air Command, said: ‘The Reds are a great institution, so the RAF will not be allowed to get rid of them. I am not overly worried, I am sure we can manage the transition.
‘Running down the Reds to seven Hawks from nine was also about eking out the Hawk T1s service life for as long as possible. If we have to have a gap, so be it. We could stand the Reds down and then stand them up again. That happened right at the start of the team for a bit.’
An RAF spokesperson said: ‘The Red Arrows are known globally for their world-class precision, speed, and teamwork.
‘Through the Defence Investment Plan, we are investing £360million into a new fast-jet training system, which allows the Red Arrows to replace the ageing Hawk aircraft.
‘The programme will move quickly and aim to avoid any potential capability gap.’
While the Hawk T1 entered RAF service in 1976, it did not make its Red Arrows debut until four years later in 1980. The Yorkshire factory that made the Hawks closed in 2020.
Potential contenders for the new jets include the Boeing and Saab T-7A Red Hawk, which will also be used by the US Air Force.
However, Breaking Defence, a news website, last month claimed the plane currently cannot fly in the rain and that the first jets supplied to the US are due to fly with a ‘serious’ airworthiness risk.
Boeing said the US Air Force has stated the T-7A is safe to fly, adding: ‘…it is normal to have air worthiness risks at this point in a program’s lifecycle.’
Other contenders for the Hawk’s replacement are Italy’s Aeromacchi M-346 jet trainer, the Turkish air force TAI Hurjet and the Lockheed Martin T-50 – currently used for training within the US air force and South Korea.
The Red Arrows arrived in the US to join a spectacular flypast over New York City to mark America’s 250th anniversary of independence
Keir Starmer’s ‘dithering’ over defence spending risks the famous display team being ‘stood down’ for several years until their replacement jets became operational. Pictured: The Red Arrows visited New York on Saturday
Earlier this year, a British firm offering to replace the Red Arrows jets collapsed and criticised Labour dithering.
Aerospace company Aeralis blasted ‘continued delays to the Defence Investment Plan’ as it went into administration.
Thousands of July 4 revellers lined the Hudson River in New York on Saturday as the Red Arrows flew in close formation over Manhattan shortly after 11am (4pm UK time).
After flying past the Statue of Liberty and One World Trade Center, the jets left trails of their iconic red, white, and blue smoke – created by injecting diesel and coloured dyes into the hot exhaust of their engines – streaked across the bright blue sky.
The Red Arrows were part of a huge event, which included an international fly past and a parade of tall ships, that was held before US Vice President JD Vance spoke on board the USS Kearsarge, a giant amphibious assault ship moored in New York Harbour.
The Red Arrows have performed nearly 4,000 displays worldwide since 1980 and play a huge role as ambassadors for British business and boosting the aviation industry.
They are still performing with a full ‘diamond nine’ on special occasions such as the King’s birthday last month but other displays later this summer will see the fleet reduced to seven jets.
In a video explaining the decision in May, Air Vice-Marshal Mark Jackson said the cut was ‘simply to help us better manage the final few years of service of the team’s famous Hawk T1 aircraft.’
He added: ‘The adjusted formation size gives greater certainty allowing the Red Arrows to plan performances with more confidence based on available spares and other components.’
A senior source at RAF Waddington in Lincolnshire, home of the Red Arrows, said: ‘These Hawks are more than 40 years old, we should not be asking pilots to fly vintage aircraft on what is a dynamic display.’
