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Business need
attracts ANA
to sector
Business Aviation P22the Shetland Islands to boost de-
tection capabilities, and launch-
ing quick reaction alert-tasked
Typhoons on 42 occasions over
the past year, he says.
Hillier also points to the ser-
vice’s rapid deployment capabil-
ity, which was demonstrated in
the wake of Hurricane Irma,
which devastated parts of the
Caribbean last year. The RAF
swiftly sent relief supplies and
personnel to the region, using as-
sets including its Airbus Defence
& Space A400Ms, plus Airbus
Helicopters Puma HC2s operat-
ing in a support role.
“We have an outstanding re-
cord of responding quickly, suc-
cessfully and in force to emerging
crises, deploying and sustaining
aircraft and support capabilities
at considerable range,” he notes.
Hillier – whose background in-
cludes combat duty as a Tornado
GR4 pilot – sees a long future for
manned aircraft, despite the
i ncreasing number of remotely-
piloted air systems (RPAS) to be
fielded by the RAF.
“RPAS are one of the fastest
growing parts of our service,” he
notes, “with [General Atomics’]
Protector coming.” To enter ser-
vice from the middle of the next
decade, the Protector force will be
at least double the size of the UK’s
current Reaper operations.
With an eye on future capabili-
ty, Hillier sees artificial intelli-
gence, human-machine interface
enhancements, remote operations
and disruptive technologies as
having an increasing part to play
in the RAF’s activities.
Space is another focus area,
with the Ministry of Defence hav-
ing recently invested £4.5 million
on the Carbonite-2 satellite: its
first with the ability to relay real-
time video from low Earth orbit.
The system went from concept to
a January 2018 launch within just
eight months, he says, using com-
mercial off-the-shelf equipment
produced by the UK’s Surrey Sat-
ellite Technology.
Pointing to the current strength
of the service – which totals about
700 aircraft – he notes: “We are
already at too low a level, with too
little resilience left. I want com-plex technology that gives me the
decisive edge, and I want mass.”
Referring to a perceived as-
sumption of uncontested control
of the air during operations, Hilli-
er says: “The world is not only
changing – it has changed. Our
strengths in the air have been seen
by our potential adversaries. We
need to get used to the idea that in
a future conflict, control of the air
will have to be fought for. That is
what makes the introduction of
the [Lockheed Martin] F-35 Light-
ning so important.”MORE FOR LESS
Meanwhile, he is challenging the
defence industry to shorten devel-
opment cycles and reduce costs.
“The Typhoon is brilliant, but it is
more than three decades since
conception,” he says. “No longer
can we accept that better technol-
ogy can only come at ever greater
cost. Why can’t I have better capa-
bility at lower real-terms cost, in
an information-enabled air force?”
Hillier welcomes the UK gov-
ernment’s recent announcement
about releasing a new combat air
strategy around mid-year, and
points to the strengths of its de-
fence industry.
“We are a powerful aviation
nation: we can do platforms,
propulsion, sensors, weapons
and information. It’s a vital in-
dustry for the UK,” he adds, not-
ing that combat aircraft currently
account for about 85% of the na-
tion’s defence exports.
The current programme to
“commemorate, celebrate and in-
spire” will peak with a main eventand flypast over central London
on 10 July, along with exposure at
occasions including the same
month’s Royal International Air
Tattoo and Farnborough air show.
In addition, the RAF aims to en-
gage with more than two million
students during 2018, which is
also the year of the engineer.
“Our focus has always been on
the future – and the legacy of RAF
100 must be to build a launchpad
for flight into our second century,”
Hillier says. The service in 2017
experienced its best recruitment
year this decade, and with 2,700
aerospace apprentices, serves as
“a dynamic engine of social mo-
bility, where everyone can fulfil
their full potential”.
Hillier says: “Our strategy to de-
liver the next-generation air force
is simple: focus on our people,
deliver on operations, and grow
our frontline. We need to grow
capability – people as well as
equipment – to give us greater re-
silience to deal with consistently
high operational demand.
“We look forward to our second
century with pride in what we
have already achieved, and with
confidence about our future and
the enduring importance of air
and space power. We are trans-
forming into a next-generation air
force, that recognises information
as its lifeblood, and is able to re-
spond more rapidly and with ev-
er-greater agility.”
Stating that his forebears would
be equally proud as the service en-
ters its new era, he adds: “The last
100 years has proven their beliefs
right, in every respect.” ■“Why can’t I have
better capability at
lower real-terms cost,
in an information
enabled air force?”
Air Chief Marshal Sir Stephen Hillier
Chief of the air staff, Royal Air Force
Service swiftly sent relief supplies to Caribbean after Hurricane IrmaTornado GR4 is due for
retirement in 2019, after a
service life of 36 yearsCrown CopyrightCrown Copyright