The Report
of the Iraq Inquiry
862.
An email
exchange between PJHQ officials on 2 May stated that Major
General
Peter Wall,
Deputy Chief of Joint Operations (Operations), had “now approved
the
progression
of this” and the USUR should proceed as soon as
possible.458
863.
The UOR update
to Lord Bach on 9 May highlighted the urgent
requirement
for
“a longer‑range, more persistent UAV platform” and such a UAV
was “seen as an
enduring
requirement that would allow a reduction in force
levels”.459
“To date
Phoenix losses on Op TELIC have been 20 airframes lost in action
and a
further 16
damaged beyond local repair (with a further three reported missing
in the
last few
days). This attrition rate leaves a capability gap of at least 36
air vehicles
against
medium scale operations until Phoenix OSD [Out of Service Date].
Phoenix
is still
being deployed therefore the attrition rate could
rise.”
865.
At Lord Bach’s
UOR meeting on 12 May, it was reported that options
being
considered
to meet the UAV requirement included “an off‑the‑shelf solution”
and bringing
forward the
Watchkeeper programme.460
866.
AM Stirrup’s
UOR update to Lord Bach on 30 May included a progress report
on
the UAV
UORs from the ISTAR Directorate of Equipment Capability
(DEC(ISTAR)).461
867.
It stated
that, prior to the USUR being articulated, “a number of possible
solutions”
had been
identified that “could be delivered within six months, including
advancing
certain
hardware elements of Watchkeeper, but stopping short of providing
an early
Watchkeeper
capability”.
868.
The DEC also
explained that UOR action had previously been “put on hold”
while
an engine
modification for Phoenix was pursued, to try and improve its
performance
in extreme
temperatures.
869.
The DEC
proposed a “layered” system to meet the requirement:
•
Nimrod Mk2
would be used to provide wide area surveillance;
•
“other
air‑based assets (such as fast jet tactical reconnaissance) would
provide
medium/low
level surveillance”; and
•
a “small
UAV system” would be procured to provide “low level ‘through
the
window’
surveillance”. That could be implemented, “at least in part,
almost
immediately”.
458
Email PJHQ
[junior official] to PJHQ [junior official], 2 May 2003,
‘Requirement for an Enhanced UAV’.
459
Minute
CM(M) to PS/Min(DP), 9 May 2003, ‘Iraq: Op TELIC Phase 4
UORs’.
460
Minute
APS/Min(DP) to CM(M), 12 May 2003, ‘Iraq: Op TELIC –
UORs’.
461
Minute
DCDS(EC) to PS/Min(DP), 30 May 2003, ‘Iraq: Op TELIC Phase 4 UORs’
attaching Paper
DDEC
(ISTAR) TS, 30 May 2003, ‘Update on Phoenix Capability
UORs’.
148