By IRNA
London : Britain is struggling to meet the demands of current military conflicts because of a shortage of aircraft to transport troops and equipment, an all-party group of MPs warned Thursday.
The Defence Select Committee said that nearly half of military aircraft used to take troops and equipment on military operations and to refuel other planes are unable to carry out their required tasks and was hitting the morale of soldiers.
"The MoD (Ministry of Defence) should not underestimate the impact on the morale of service personnel of delays returning to the UK, particular if the delays cut into short periods of leave," the committee said in a new report.
The MPs found that out of 75 Hercules, TriStar and VC-10 transport aircraft, only 41, amounting to about 55 per cent of the total, were available at the end of last year when they asked the MoD about the situation.
"It is not enough to give our troops the best training and the best equipment, if we cannot transport them to where they are needed and support them once deployed," said the committee chairman, James Arbuthnot, who was a former Conservative defence minister.
The report also raised concerns about the planned new fleet of 25 Airbus A400Ms, which is due to replace the ageing Hercules C-130Ks, which was found to be 15 months behind schedule and would not be available until spring 2011.
"We have real doubts as to whether the current transport and tanker fleet can provide the level of availability required between now and when these new aircraft come into service," it said.
But in response to the concern, Defence Minister Lord Drayson insisted that the MoD was making "long-term improvements" to its airlift capability, by adding a fifth Boeing C-17 to the four the UK was currently buying.
Last December, the committee warned that a personnel shortage was creating a "clear danger" that the military will be unable to maintain its commitments in the near future and that the lack of equipment could affect morale and readiness to "fight the next war."