Part One  Cost, time and performance of projects

1.1  In this Part we examine in-year changes to the cost, time and technical performance of the 15 largest projects, where the main decision to invest funding (the main investment decision or main-gate) has been made. Overall, the forecast cost to complete the Report's projects has increased in-year by £466 million (0.9 per cent) which includes £113 million of capability enhancements, and slipped a further 30 months (average two months per project) against their planned in-service date. Figure 2 provides a detailed breakdown of time, cost and technical performance for each of the 15 post-main-gate projects.

Figure 2
The 15 largest projects where the Department has taken the main decision to invest

Project

Description

Expected cost to completion at approval (£)

Current forecast cost to completion (£m)

Total cost variation (£m)

In-year change on costs to completion (£m)

Expected

in-service date at approval

Current forecast in-service date

Total time variation (months)

In year change to in-service date (months)

Defence lines of development

Key performance measures

Number to be procured

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

To be met

To be met, with risk

Not to be met

In-year change, not to be met

To be met

To bmet, with risk

Not to be met

In year
change, not

to be met

Approved

Current plan

A400M

Large transport aircraft

2,498

3,105

+607

+150

Feb 09

Mar 15

+73

0

4

4

0

No change

9

0

0

No change

25

22

Airseeker

Airborne electronic surveillance

659

681

+22

+23

Oct 14

Oct 14

0

0

4

4

0

No change

8

1

0

No change

3

3

Astute Class submarines

Attack submarine: boats one to three

2,233

3,480

+1,247

+179

Jun 05

Apr 10

+58

-3

 

 

 

 

7

1

1

+1

3

3

 

 

Attack submarine: boats four to six1

2,157

2,243

+86

+70

Aug 15

Jan 18

+29

+13

6

1

1

+1

6

4

0

No change

3

3

Beyond Visual Range Air-to- Air Missile (Meteor)

Air-to-air missile: original in-service date

Air-to-air missile: in-service date one

Air-to-air missile: in-service date two

1,136

1,115

-21

+1

Sep 11

Aug 13

+23

0

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Aug 12

Nov 12

+3

+3

7

1

0

No change

7

0

0

No change

***

***

Jul 15

Jul 15

0

0

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Future Strategic Tanker Aircraft

Air-to-air refuelling and passenger aircraft

12,307

12,009

-298

+111

May 14

May 14

0

0

6

2

0

No change

9

0

0

No change

14

14

Joint Combat Aircraft

Fighter/attack aircraft

2,482

2,112

-370

-37

No date

No date

No data

No data

4

4

0

No change

7

0

0

No change

 

No data2

Lynx Wildcat

Light helicopter: battlefield and naval variants

1,803

1,644

-159

+39

Jan 14

Jan 14

0

0

4

4

0

No change

12

6

0

No change

80

663

Merlin Capability Sustainment Programme

Update of helicopter avionics

805

768

-37

-33

Feb 14

Feb 14

0

0

8

0

0

No change

10

0

0

No change

30

30

Puma Life-Extension Programme

Update of helicopter cockpit and avionics

339

326

-13

-13

Nov 13

Nov 13

0

0

8

0

0

No change

7

0

0

No change

28

24

Queen Elizabeth Class

Aircraft carrier

3,541

5,131

+1,590

-13

Jul 15

Oct 16

+15

+5

4

4

0

No change

8

0

1

+1

2

2

Specialist Vehicles

Armoured fighting vehicles

1,39 4

1,394

0

0

No date

No date

No data

No data

8

0

0

No change

11

0

0

No change

 

No data4

Type 45 Destroyer

Anti-air warfare destroyer

4,757

5,664

+907

-30

May 07

Jul 10

+38

0

4

4

0

No change

5

4

0

No change

6

6

Typhoon

Fighter aircraft and Future Capability Programme

15,583

18,159

+2,576

+18

Dec 98

Jun 03

+54

0

3

5

0

No change

15

1

1

No change

232

160

United Kingdom Military Flying Training System

Flying training capability

928

900

-28

+5

May 09

Feb 10

+95

0

8

0

0

No change

205

85

05

No change

28

285

Watchkeeper

Surveillance, target acquisition and reconnaissance unmanned aerial vehicle

847

839

-8

-4

Jun 10

Feb 12

+20

+12

4

4

0

No change

6

4

1

No change

54

54

Total

 

53,469

59,570

+6,101

+466

 

 

+322

+30

82

37

1

+1

147

29

4

+2

 

 

NOTES

1  Costs include some initial items for boats five and six, as these submarines have not received their main investment decision. In-service dates apply to boat four only.

2  The number of Joint Combat Aircraft has yet to be determined. In last year's report we stated that up to 150 would be procured but this is now subject to negotiation following the Strategic Defence and Security Review.

3  Numbers include eight Light Attack Helicopters which are modified Battlefield Reconnaissance Helicopters. Budgetary provision was made for these additional aircraft in the last planning round, but they are yet to be formally approved.

4  The number of Specialist Vehicles to be procured will not be determined until the manufacture phase of the project.

5  The dates specified for the United Kingdom Military Flying Training System relate to the Advanced Jet Trainer increment. The in-year change to in-service dates represents the total variation to the United Kingdom Military Flying Training System programme. The key performance measures shown are those for the full United Kingdom Military Flying Training System programme. The platform numbers specified for the United Kingdom Military Flying Training System programme relate to the Advanced Jet Trainer increment.

Source: National Audit Office analysis of Departmental data

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