83. The Government Response to our Report, published on 11 May 2007, said that:
The decision to remove the requirement for C-130 Hercules deployability reflects the anticipated change in the balance of the air transport fleet in favour of A400M. It also reflects the increased protection levels required for FRES which cannot be accommodated within the C-130 load limit. Transportability by A400M is recognised as a risk to the programme but is being carefully managed.[123]
84. The memorandum from the Royal Aeronautical Society stated that the A400M will be able to carry FRES "as currently defined (a 37 tonnes payload)", but points out that "vehicular weight, airborne or ground based, tends to creep upwards during design, as well as once in service—20% growth is not unusual. Clearly it would be sensible to ensure that the FRES specification is consistent with A400M performance".[124]
85. AVM Leeson acknowledged that there had been a trend for armoured vehicles to become heavier to provide improved protection. He said that, given the security situation currently faced by UK Service personnel, it was a "considerable worry that with each threat change there is an inexorable rise in the weight of armour or protection that our various vehicles are carrying". As a consequence "it will constantly stress the ability to lift these vehicles around". AVM Leeson considered that, so far, the design of the A400M was "living up to the FRES demands". However, he recognised that, if the threat situation changed further, this issue would have to be looked at very carefully.[125]
86. We asked whether the A400M aircraft could cope with the increasing weight of FRES. Mr Rowntree said that the floor strength of the A400M had been recently strengthened. He said that the A400M was at a more advanced stage of development compared with FRES. FRES was "working to around a 25 tonne total size" which would enable A400M to transport it about 2,000 miles which "would be a very useful lift capability". However, if the weight crept up to 32 tonnes, this would reduce the distance that an A400M could transport FRES.[126]
87. Mr Rowntree emphasised that the FRES and A400M teams were in very close dialogue and the FRES team knew where "the bounds are" for the A400M.[127] The MoD did not know to what extent the A400M could be upgraded through life. However, if FRES weight increased through life it would "create problems".[128] Mr Thompson said that the floor reinforcements and the ramp reinforcement for the A400M was a "UK-unique configuration".[129] He added that it was more difficult to retrofit aircraft than incorporate a change while it was being built. He thought that with the A400M "we have probably reached the end of the easy modifications".[130]
88. We asked about the implications if the weight of FRES went above 32 tonnes. General Figgures told us that as threats changed, the protection for FRES would have to be adjusted, and would have to be tuned to a particular threat. This could mean that there would be different mixtures of armour for different threats which could be taken on and off the vehicle. He considered that if FRES went above 32 tonnes, the MoD would be "able to fly the base vehicle with a base level of protection and then we would increase that protection once we got into theatre".[131] We asked whether this would mean that more aircraft would be required to transport the same number of FRES vehicles. General Figgures said that would be the case if the MoD deployed all its FRES vehicles by air:
but the proposition would be that we would fly FRES, if necessary, for say a small scale focused intervention where speed of reaction was important, and we would have sufficient air fleet to be able to air land the appropriate sub-unit and framework of the battlegroup that was going to be deployed.
He added that for a small scale focused deployment "we require that rapidity. For a more deliberate intervention….the Strategic Lift could well be provided by sea".[132]
89. It has recently been reported in the media that the MoD had asked Airbus whether a FRES vehicle weighing 36 tonnes could be transported on A400M aircraft and that, while the company considered this achievable, it was not within the current price and schedule terms of the UK's A400M contract.[133]
90. It is intended that the MoD's Future Rapid Effect System (FRES), a family of medium-weight armoured vehicles, are to be transportable to operational theatres by A400M aircraft. However, the increased weight of FRES could lead to it becoming too heavy to be transported by A400M or could substantially reduce the distance that the vehicles could be transported. The weight of FRES must be carefully monitored and managed, both during development and when in-service, to avoid a situation where the UK Armed Forces will have a new generation of armoured fighting vehicles which cannot be deployed rapidly overseas.
