Britain’s cutting-edge £1 billion Type 45 destroyers are being called in for engine refits due to repeated breakdowns, including one incident in which a ship lost power in the middle of the Atlantic.
Work on the Type 45’s engines will begin in 2019 and be staggered over several years to keep some ships in operational service.
Problems have been apparent for some years, with one anonymous Royal Navy officer telling the BBC: “Total electrical failures are common.”
“We can only just do some of the tasks that we should be doing around the world. Suddenly we will not have ships available and that is very, very worrying,” he added.
The British military has also struggled to get its latest £70 million fighter jet working. The F-35B Lightning was due to be brought into service in 2012, but a catalogue of faults has kept it out of the skies.
The Royal Navy’s new aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth will host the F-35 when it finally comes into operation in 2020.
This piece was reprinted by RINF Alternative News with permission or license.
Via RT.