Special Forces missions to be hampered by lack of boats to drop from planes

Minsiters are yet to order a vital piece of kit so the SAS and Special Boat Service can storm hijacked ships at sea.

The Government is controversially scrapping the fleet of Hercules C-130J transport planes used by Special Forces.

The last aircraft will be withdrawn at the end of next month - leaving elite troops relying on the Hercules’ replacement, the Atlas A400(M).

One of the Hercules’ key roles is being able to drop an inflatable boat from the back of the plane into the ocean, which parachuting forces can collect and use to launch hostage rescue missions by raiding target vessels.

However, the Mirror can reveal the Government is yet to order dinghies suitable for use with the Atlas aircraft.

The RAF's Airbus A400(M) Atlas planes are not yet equipped with inflatable boats to be dropped out of the rear of the aircraft (Matthew Horwood)

Labour former Defence Minister Kevan Jones discovered replacements were yet to be bought when he asked the Ministry of Defence when it “plans to procure the ‘platform universal rigid inflatable boat aerial delivery system’ for the RAF's fleet of A400(M) aircraft”.

Answering the written question, Defence Minister James Cartlidge admitted: “The MoD intends to tender for a universal boat delivery system (known as large boat aerial delivery) that will meet the current and future needs of the MoD.

“Potential solutions to meet this requirement will be met via competition.”

The Tories announced the June 2023 retirement of the Hercules C130J fleet in their June 2021 Defence Command Paper - giving them two years to commission new boats.

An updated paper is due next month.

Troops should be able to parachute from the planes and collect boats on the surface of the sea (MOD/Crown Copyright/SWNS)

Mr Jones told the Mirror: “When the Hercules is retired on June 30 our Special Forces will be left with capability gaps for years.

“It’s deeply concerning that MoD seems to be in no hurry to fill these gaps.

“Government needs to get a grip of slow decision-making, which is leaving our country and our service personnel without the capabilities we need.”

There are also fears some of the 22 planes in the RAF’s Atlas fleet - based at Britain’s biggest military airbase, RAF Brize Norton, Oxon - will be unavailable.

Defence Minister James Cartlidge answered the written parliamentary question (Handout)

MPs and retired top brass have repeatedly raised concerns about the resilience of the Airbus-made Atlas planes - comparing them unfavourably with the hugely reliable Lockheed-made Hercules, which has nearly seven decades of service.

Mr Cartlidge insisted: “Whilst the Hercules C-130J fleet will continue to drawdown, a number of the aircraft have sufficient remaining flying hours to enable an extended drawdown to June 30, 2023, maximising use of the fleet.

“Atlas availability is being actively managed.

“There has been a steady improvement in aircraft availability and fleet resilience.

“Following direct intervention and a determined improvement campaign, the daily aircraft availability is approximately 25% greater compared to 18 months ago.

“A number of Atlas airframes will complete upgrades before the summer, adding to the available fleet.”

An RAF spokesman said: “All capability improvements for the A400(M) have been significantly accelerated since the decision was taken to retire the C-130, with no gaps in the aircraft’s critical capability.

“For security reasons we will not comment on specifics.”

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