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The plan has been described as similar to “screwing Spitfires before bombing Britain.”
Air force commanders are refusing to reverse a decision to retire 30 “rapid reaction alert” jets used to protect British airspace from potential attacks by President Vladimir Putin.
In a move that has been likened to “scraping the Spitfires before the Air Battle of Britain”, cash-strapped Royal Air Force bosses plan to retire Tranche 1 Typhoons to save money.
The jets, which still have thousands of miles of range remaining and could continue flying for years to come, will be grounded after completing just 40 percent of their expected flight time.
MPs have called in vain for RAF chiefs to reconsider following growing concerns over a conflict with Russia. Operation Quick Reaction Alert (QRA) is coordinated from RAF High Wycombe. Typhoon crews are based at RAF Coningsby and RAF Lossiemouth.
Official RAF sources last night justified the plans for financial reasons, including the costs of maintenance and technology upgrades.
An RAF Tranche 1 Typhoon jet in flight. In a move that has been likened to “scraping the Spitfires before the Battle of Britain,” cash-strapped RAF bosses plan to retire the Tranche 1 Typhoon to save money. The planes will remain on the ground, flying just 40 percent of their expected flying time (stock image) An RAF Tranche 1 Typhoon jet, which performs reconnaissance roles. The controversial decision comes after the Chancellor of the Exchequer refused to include a significant increase in defense spending in the budget. The retirement of the planes will reduce Britain's QRA jet fleet from 137 to 107 (stock image) Russian President Vladimir Putin. MPs have urged RAF bosses to reconsider the scrapping amid growing concerns over conflict with Russia, but to no avail.
The controversial decision comes after the Chancellor refused to include a significant increase in defence spending in the budget. The retirement of these aircraft will reduce the UK's QRA jet fleet from 137 to 107. The remaining jets will be the more recently built Tranche 2 and Tranche 3 Typhoons.
Read more: In his annual address to the nation, Putin accused NATO and the US of “preparing to attack” Russia, directly threatened the West with nuclear weapons and warned of the “destruction of civilisation”.
Former defence minister Marc Francois told the Mail: “Can you imagine if we had sold a squadron of Spitfires before the Battle of Britain? There would have been an uproar.”
“The Tranche 1 Typhoons should be kept in reserve for return in the event of a conflict.”
“They will work admirably for the purpose of protecting UK skies from Russian jets.”
The Ministry of Defence confirmed the T1s will be retired next year, five years earlier than their planned retirement in 2030. Aviation expert Professor Justin Bronk told MPs “there is definitely an argument” to keep them in storage.
Manufacturer BAE Systems has confirmed that the T1 can be upgraded to match the capabilities of its more advanced successors.
The T1 can only be used in 'air-to-air' combat scenarios, such as against Russian aircraft threatening UK airspace, while the T2 and T3 can carry out 'air-to-air' and 'air-to-ground' operations.
Last night an RAF source said maintaining the T1s would cost “in excess of £300 million” in upgrades and storage. A spokesman said: “There is no operational benefit or cost-effectiveness to be gained from maintaining Tranche 1 Typhoons and it will lead to significant reductions in spares and investment in Tranches 2 and 3.”
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