Over the past ten years the RAF has cost the country an average of some £500 m per year. Of this sum about £200 m has been spent with the aircraft and electronic industries, of which about half has been for new aircraft and weapons, the remainder being needed for spares, modifications and ground equipment. A further £200 m is expended on service and civilian manpower, the majority of whom have been employed on the maintenance of technical equipments or are needed to provide direct support for personnel so employed. Thus we have a situation where something like £200 m a year—almost half of the total budget—is spent upon maintenance.

As the cost of modern weapons systems needed to achieve the necessary operational performance is increasing rapidly, the front line strength of the Royal Air Force will be weakened unless substantial savings in these maintenance costs can be made, and this in the face of increasing complexity of aircraft equipments.