Air Force needs review

THERE'S a new £2.6bn black hole in the Ministry of Defence budget. Time to look at the £9bn-a-year Royal Air Force, overmanned and underemployed.

- Lester May (Lieutenant Commander, Royal Navy - retired)

The RAF has the most comfortable of the services’ Harmony Guidelines - more time at home for the RAF.

For the same pay, sailors and marines have the toughest Harmony Guidelines.

The RAF ‘owns’ 75% of all British aircraft, too many not operational; it operates just 50% of front-line aircraft, the other half Army or Navy.