Holland recently announced it is getting out of the Maritime Patrol Aircraft business to spend more money on social programs. Meanwhile, across the English Channel, London announced significant military cuts. The London Telegraph reports that a confidential MOD White Paper announced substantial cuts in British ships, armored vehicles, and aircraft. The British MOD said the changes were being made to “better prepare Britain for combating terrorism and weapons of mass destruction.” While supporters are reported to say these changes will permit the use of a more swiftly deployable force to fight on a number of fronts at the same time while enjoying the latest technology, opponents countered that the move is budget crisis-driven "a smokescreen" to hide quite risky cuts in the military. Two major defense programs -- the Nimrod MRA4 surveillance aircraft and the Ground-based Air Defence radar system (GBAD) -- are being cut immediately, reported the Telegram. The Nimrod upgrade program alone has already cost $ 764 million toward the $ 5 billion program. Canceling the MRA4 now is expected to save $ 892 million this year and $ 3.57 billion overall, leaving England with neither a modern Royal Navy MPA aircraft nor an RAF strategic bomber. The white paper also lists other savings: buying just 55 of the 143 Eurofighters with which it will replace its F3 Tornado, Harrier, and Jaguar ground attack aircraft; scrapping England’s 60 Challenger 2 tanks, plus unnamed older tank models; and decommissioning older Royal Navy ships, not yet named.
