SDSR 2015 – Answering questions at the House of Commons Defence Committee the Secretary of State for Defence first of all confirmed that work on the SRSR 2015 is already underway and that he had every confidence that the SRSR 2015 will take place in 2015.     The Secretary of State for Defence also confirmed that among the key decisions that will be in the next SRSR will be decisions on the “Carriers” and the Maritime Reconnaissance capability, or rather a lack of it.   So what are the UK’s options for  Maritime Reconnaissance  ?

They boil down to two existing projects:-

-       The BOEING P-8 POSEIDON (based on the 737-800 airframe) capable of anti-submarine warfare, shipping interdiction and electronic intelligence.       This means carrying torpedoes, depth charges, SLAM-ER anti-ship missiles and other weapons, and has the ability to drop and monitor sonobuoys..    It is also designed to operate in conjunction with the Broad Area Maritime Surveillance unmanned aerial vehicle.        Sales of the P-8 POSEIDON, apart from those the US Navy include the old Empire alliance of Australia and India with Canada and New Zealand expected to join that happy band.

-       The other lesser option would appear to be one of the turbo-prop option – Italy originally intended to go down the P-3 ORION replacement ie: P-8 POSEIDON route but settled for the French-Italian ATR 72 civil airliner as modified.    The alternative would seems to be the Spanish built C-295 of Airbus Military which is a development of the commercially successful Spanish-Indonesian transport aircraft CASA/IPTN CN-235, with a stretched fuselage.   The list of operators is long and impressive with the Spanish Air Force in the lead with the C-295 is in service with the Armed Services of 13 (what may be termed lesser) countries with some 113 C295s contracted (85 in service, and one lost).

One issue to consider would be the basing of any such aircraft – RAF Kinloss, the home of the ill fated NIMROD has been reduced to an Army Barracks for the Royal Engineers and is not an option.   Could Culdrose become the natural choice for these aircraft if they are ever ordered ?