The Report of the Iraq Inquiry

1324. The Inquiry asked Gen O’Donoghue whether increasing the flying hours

of helicopters sooner would have made sure that more were available in Iraq.

Gen O’Donoghue replied that it took time to do because more spares would have to

be acquired to fly the helicopters and maintenance schedules had to be adjusted.696

1325. Gen O’Donoghue said that there were a number of factors to consider when

looking at whether to procure a new type of helicopter, including the procurement cost,

the cost of certifying airworthiness, what changes were necessary to meet the theatre

entry standard and what was best to bring into service alongside existing models.

The majority of witnesses to the Inquiry said that the decision to reduce helicopter funding

by £1.4bn in 2004 had not had an effect on what was available for Iraq.

Mr Hoon told the Inquiry that he did not believe that earlier funding decisions about

the Equipment Programme were “relevant” to helicopter availability in Iraq.697 That was

because of the lead time for any new helicopters to come into service.

Speaking about the Spending Review settlement in 2004, Sir Kevin Tebbit told the Inquiry

that the MOD preserved resources for Iraq and made cuts in the areas considered least

likely to be called upon.698 He said that it was “very difficult” to say that it had had a

long‑term impact on operations in Iraq and Afghanistan because the savings were made

in forward programmes, such as with helicopters.

The Inquiry asked Sir Peter Spencer if the £1.4bn reduction in 2004 had affected the

number of helicopters available in Iraq.699 Sir Peter replied that he was unable to comment

on that specifically because he was not involved in the support of those helicopters but did

state that it was an example of how the MOD had to decide what its priorities were:

“[It] goes back to the fundamental issue at the heart of all of this, which is being more

realistic about what the money would actually buy you and to just accept that you

can’t have every toy in the shop.”

Lt Gen Fulton indicated that the spending reduction did not have an impact on Iraq as

it affected amphibious and light helicopter procurement rather than support helicopters

which is what commanders relied upon for troop transport:

“So for very good reasons, all the reasons you identify, whilst the £1.4bn cut to the

helicopter budget was profoundly unwelcome, it had no effect at all on anything to

do with Iraq.”700

Gen Jackson said of the 2004 funding cut that he thought “some of the difficulties with

helicopters stem from that decision” as well as the procurement difficulties with the eight

Chinook Mk3s.701

696 Public hearing, 14 July 2010, pages 73‑79.

697 Public hearing, 19 January 2010, page 197.

698 Public hearing, 3 February 2010, pages 9‑12.

699 Public hearing, 26 July 2010, pages 59‑61

700 Public hearing, 27 July 2010, page 96.

701 Public hearing, 28 July 2010, page 86.

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