UK to cut large-scale weapons, expected to save $600 million

British Defense Secretary John Healey announced that the country will retire a number of warships and equipment, thereby saving 500 million pounds (more than 630 million USD) over the next 5 years.

In an announcement to the British parliament on November 20, Mr. John Healey said the military will eliminate 5 warships, 31 helicopters and a squadron of 46 unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) for reconnaissance purposes, reported the Breaking Defense website.

Mr Healey said the plan would save the UK £500m over the next five years and remove “obsolete” equipment, but the move has been criticised by opposition MPs.

British Army Watchkeeper UAV

PHOTO: UK MINISTRY OF DEFENCE

The warships being decommissioned include the frigate HMS Northumberland due to “structural damage making repairs uneconomical”, two amphibious assault ships and two Wave-class tankers.

Additionally, the Watchkeeper UAV fleet will be retired due to cost overruns and accidents during testing and operations. The Watchkeeper was commissioned in 2014 to support operations in Afghanistan, but has not participated in any military operations in the past 10 years. The 14 CH-47 Chinook heavy-lift helicopters and 17 Puma multi-mission helicopters will also be retired.

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The UK defence secretary added that the cuts had broad support from military chiefs, following consultations with the UK's strategic defence review officer. Mr Healey said the government had informed allies in London and the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO).

Matthew Savill, director of military science at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), based in London, said that the vehicles the British army plans to remove are largely obsolete or reaching “retirement age”.

“However, the fact that the UK Ministry of Defence cannot allocate human resources to the above vehicle units, or has to cut back to save a not too large budget in the 5-year period, shows that the current resources of this agency are limited,” said Mr. Savill.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/anh-cat-giam-vu-khi-quy-mo-lon-du-kien-tiet-kiem-600-trieu-usd-185241121101715952.htm