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| MPs' fears over destroyer delays | |
| (about 5 hours later) | |
| Delays to new Royal Navy destroyers may have "deeply worrying implications" for the UK's defence, MPs have warned. | |
| The first Type 45 destroyer is set to enter service later this year, more than two years late, £1.5bn over budget, and not fully operational. | The first Type 45 destroyer is set to enter service later this year, more than two years late, £1.5bn over budget, and not fully operational. |
| The vessels are being built in component "blocks" by shipyards in Glasgow and Portsmouth. | |
| The Commons Public Accounts Committee found the delays meant ageing ships had been repaired for longer service. | The Commons Public Accounts Committee found the delays meant ageing ships had been repaired for longer service. |
| Destroyers are the Navy's workhorses, defending larger ships from air attack. | Destroyers are the Navy's workhorses, defending larger ships from air attack. |
| Edward Leigh, chairman of the cross-party Commons Public Accounts Committee, described the delays as "disgraceful". | Edward Leigh, chairman of the cross-party Commons Public Accounts Committee, described the delays as "disgraceful". |
| He said: "HMS Daring, the first of the six Type 45s, will not now enter service until the end of 2009, over two years late and £1.5bn over the original budgeted cost. | He said: "HMS Daring, the first of the six Type 45s, will not now enter service until the end of 2009, over two years late and £1.5bn over the original budgeted cost. |
| "It will enter service with not one of its main anti-air missiles having been fired from the ship - and it will not be fully operational until 2011. | "It will enter service with not one of its main anti-air missiles having been fired from the ship - and it will not be fully operational until 2011. |
| "The fleet of Type 45s will not have their full capability until well into the next decade." | "The fleet of Type 45s will not have their full capability until well into the next decade." |
| 'Serious mistakes' | 'Serious mistakes' |
| Mr Leigh said this left two worrying implications for the UK's air-defence capability. | Mr Leigh said this left two worrying implications for the UK's air-defence capability. |
| He said: "One is our having to rely for a number of years on ageing vessels designed and built for the Cold War. | He said: "One is our having to rely for a number of years on ageing vessels designed and built for the Cold War. |
| "The other is that, even when the full complement of six Type 45s is fully operational, this number of new destroyers falls short of the 12 originally planned and then eight subsequently proposed, making it very difficult for the MoD [Ministry of Defence] to meet its requirement of having five ships at sea at any one time." | "The other is that, even when the full complement of six Type 45s is fully operational, this number of new destroyers falls short of the 12 originally planned and then eight subsequently proposed, making it very difficult for the MoD [Ministry of Defence] to meet its requirement of having five ships at sea at any one time." |
| The committee concluded the MoD made "serious mistakes" in the early stages of the project, setting "unrealistic cost and time objectives". | The committee concluded the MoD made "serious mistakes" in the early stages of the project, setting "unrealistic cost and time objectives". |
| However Mr Leigh acknowledged the MoD had learnt lessons from the project which it was applying to the construction of two new aircraft carriers. | However Mr Leigh acknowledged the MoD had learnt lessons from the project which it was applying to the construction of two new aircraft carriers. |