THEATRUM BELLI

Under the plans, the U.S. Marines would be invited to fly from the British carriers in joint operations and the Navy is also examining the prospect of leasing aircraft from the Americans.

Major costs savings are necessary because the Treasury budget for the carriers only covers the costs of building an empty shell - leaving no money for the aircraft to fly from them.

A senior military source said : 'The U.S. Marines have the aircraft. Their aircraft would fly from the British carriers. Or we could borrow some from them.

'The Treasury are happy to pay for the carriers but there's an issue over the cost of the aircraft.'

The carriers are due to enter service in 2014 and 2016 respectively and the remaining Harriers, famous for their ability to take off and land vertically, are currently due to be retired in 2018.

But bringing that date forward, which would save more than £1billion and could happen as early as the end of next year, would leave the Navy with a capability gap that would have to be filled by the Americans before Joint Strike Fighter aircraft become available in 2018.

Rather than 'salami slice' kit from every area, Defence Secretary Liam Fox has decided to give up major capabilities that let Britain fight wars alone, and rely on American support in future conflicts instead.

The RAF is set to abandon its 'spy in the sky' aerial surveillance planes because the U.S. can provide the intelligence material instead. That is likely to mean the cancellation of new Nimrod aircraft.

In order to pay for the new aircraft carriers, which will cost a total of £5.2billion, the Navy is expected to have to sacrifice its amphibious landing capability.

The source added : 'It comes down to a choice between carrier strike capability and amphibious landing - and they're not going to give up the carriers.'

That means the Royal Marines and the Army would have to rely on American assault ships if they wanted to launch a seaborne invasion like the Falklands in future.

'There are going to be some very painful decisions,' the source said.

'But the plan is to sacrifice some capabilities so that we can keep the kit where we really need it.'

Chancellor George Osborne has also asked the Ministry of Defence to find budget savings of between 10 and 20 per cent.

One carrier may be axed to save money but Navy chiefs would rather fight for them both.

But to pay for them, the second may be downgraded to carry helicopters rather than jets. Ministers are also examining whether they can share some costs with the French navy.

The British Harrier Jump Jet was the first in the world to be able to take off in a very short distance and land vertically without a runway.

A mainstay of the Fleet Air Arm since 1960, its finest hour was the 1982 conflict to recover the Falklands, when the planes shot down 20 Argentine aircraft without suffering a single loss in return.

The Harrier's primary role is air defence, operating from Royal Navy aircraft carriers. It was instrumental in protecting the Falklands Task Force from serious losses at the hands of the Argentine air force.

The last Sea Harriers operated by the Fleet Air Arm were withdrawn from service in 2006, leaving Navy and RAF pilots using the GR9 ground attack variant of the aircraft.

There are 45 Harriers left, but the jet is due to go out of service by 2018 to be replaced by a variant of the U.S.-made Joint Strike Fighter.

Source du texte : MAIL ON LINE