Formation of Typhoon jets conduct flypast training over North Sea

The last big flyover was the Jubilee last year I recall? Will take some going to beat that. Saw the helis from our house in Surrey, the jets dispersed further north.

Have a read of this
https://www.defense-aerospace.com/pac-questions-whether-uk-can-afford-its-military-equipment-plan/?utm_source=mailpoet&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=les-newslettertotal-derniers-articles-de-notre-blog-11

The Ministry of Defence’s (the Department’s) approach to its Equipment Plan has failed to adapt to a more volatile world. The invasion of Ukraine has challenged strategic
assumptions and necessitated a refresh of the 2021 Integrated Review. However, we have serious doubts about whether the Department’s Equipment Plan process is agile
and responsive enough to react to this more dangerous international situation.

We are concerned that the Department lacks the urgency required to develop and deliver promptly the enhanced capabilities that the Armed Forces need. The Department acknowledges that its land forces must catch up to fulfil our NATO commitments, but programmes to achieve this, such as Ajax and Morpheus, have been beset by problems and delays for many years. The Department has also not focussed sufficiently on developing the enabling and supporting capabilities required in operational environments. If the Department does not act swiftly to address the fragility of its supply chain, replenish its stocks, and modernise its capabilities, there is a risk that the UK might struggle to maintain its essential contribution to NATO. This is compounded as the 2022–2023 Equipment Plan is already somewhat out of date, as it does not yet reflect the emerging lessons from Ukraine.

The Department assesses its Equipment Plan as affordable over the next ten years, but this assessment is still characterised by optimism bias. It relies on the Equipment Plan budget exceeding forecast costs by £5.2 billion in the Plan’s final three years, to rectify a forecast deficit of £2.6 billion in the first seven years. The Department’s assessment of the Plan’s affordability also assumes it will reduce project costs by £30.4 billion during the next ten years. This includes the Department achieving all planned efficiencies and savings, although it does not yet have plans for £1.6 billion cost reductions and £3.4 billion efficiency savings, of which it needs more than £2 billion in the next three years.

We are also concerned that the Department has not yet secured the skills it needs to deliver the Plan, particularly given the impact of rising inflation on staff recruitment and retention.

The Committee examines the Equipment Plan every year and sees the same problems recurring with major, often multi billion pound, defence procurement programmes.
Equipment arrives into service many years late and significantly over-budget, with depressing regularity. Neither taxpayers nor our Armed Forces are being served well.
There needs to be meaningful change of this broken system. The Department needs to break from this cycle of costly delay and failure and deliver a fundamental, root and
branch reform of defence procurement once And for all

It’s going to be 22 Typhoons. 6 F35B ‘s, plus the 9 Reds. And 34 other aircraft and helicopters.