New fighter force at risk in defence cutbacks

THE Government is to announce massive cuts in defence spending in the wake of the global economic crisis, insiders revealed today.

Sources claim that a severe round of cuts on major programmes is expected within months as it tries to plug a £1.5billion shortfall in the defence budget. The revelation comes ahead of a major two-day conference on defence procurement at the Queen Elizabeth Conference Centre, in Westminster, starting today.

John Hutton, the new Defence Secretary, has been told he must adopt a more realistic budget and warned he cannot put off a major defence and security review until after the next election. "The budget is bust, and the cupboard bare," said Professor Gwyn Prins, a strategic analyst at the LSE. "Something has to give."

Experts warn the purchases most at risk surround two 65,000-tonne aircraft carriers, the Prince of Wales and Queen Elizabeth II, costing around £4 billion, which are due to be completed by 2014 and 2016. Funding for the carriers is secure but Britain is considering pulling out of a £9 billion project with America to produce new fighter planes, which will fly off the carriers.

Britain has ordered 150 of the Lockheed Martin F-35 joint strike fighter planes but experts warn that long delays on the project and soaring costs could scupper the deal.