Iraq troops 'face Hercules shortage'

OPERATIONS in Iraq and Afghanistan are taking such a toll on the RAF's ageing Hercules fleet that it could be left with a shortage of transport aircraft, the Whitehall spending watchdog warned yesterday.

The National Audit Office (NAO) disclosed that over the past two years nine of the older Hercules C-130K's have had to be taken out of service early due to wing fatigue.

With the new European Airbus A400M unlikely to enter service before the end of 2011 – two years behind schedule – the NAO said there were now "significant risks" that the RAF would not have enough transport aircraft for future operations.

It warned that the Ministry of Defence needed to make urgent decisions in order to avoid a potential shortfall in capacity after 2010.

The Hercules is the essential "workhorse" of the Iraq and Afghanistan missions.

The high tempo of take-offs and landings – often on desert airstrips – has taken its toll on wings, airframes and propellers.

Edward Leigh, the chairman of the Commons public accounts committee, said it was essential that the MoD got to grips with the problem.

The MoD, however, insisted that the planned in-service date for the A400M was "still within the required timeframe to manage a smooth replacement of the Hercules".