Chinook Mk3 purchase programme is embarrassing for the MOD

The damning evidence of faulty decision-making and lack of foresight on the part of the Ministry of Defence in the way it handled the Chinook helicopter saga has undermined the Government’s efforts to bring equipment procurement under control.

The history of MoD equipment-buying is littered with examples of waste, runaway costs and delays, and the Chinook Mk3 programme is one of the most embarrassing cases, where a vitally needed asset for the troops in Iraq and Afghanistan has been left on the shelf, unflyable and undeployable.

The second report on the Chinooks in four years by the National Audit Office has only highlighted how even in a period when the defence budget has been hard-pressed to cope with rising equipment costs, key decisions have been taken that have added to the financial burden.

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