Urgent review as D-Day parachute jump scaled back due to lack of RAF aircraft | UK News

Defense chiefs are scrambling to get more planes to parachute in on the 80th anniversary of D-Day as crises in Ukraine and the Middle East have left the RAF fleet overstretched.

Hundreds of paratroopers were expected to jump to Normandy on June 5 to honor the actions of his predecessors in World War II, but plans were delayed due to aircraft shortages.

O Mail on Sunday reported that only one plane was available, but defense sources said they were hopeful that at least one more could be found.

Secretary of Defense Grant Shapps ordered an urgent review of the matter and said it showed the need to increase spending on the armed forces.

“This was only brought to me very recently and I certainly want to see it properly covered,” he told the BBC’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg.

“I have no doubt we will have additional planes there.

“In fact, the A400, which is the aircraft we use, is being used in operations right now.

“It’s one of the reasons I successfully argued for another £75 billion in terms of money for our armed forces, because I think we need to do more of these things.”

from Russia invasion of Ukraine is straining resources by increasing NATO activity, and RAF transport planes are also playing a crucial role in directing aid to Gaza.

Writing in the Daily Mail, former Defense Minister Tobias Ellwood said the memorial’s reduced jump was indicative of the Ministry of Defense’s (MoD) new funding strategy.

“As things stand, the Paras’ hopes of launching a large-scale parachute drop on multiple planes were limited to a single aircraft and only 100 of them jumped,” he said.

“The issue demonstrates a sad and simple truth – today’s RAF lacks heavy lift capability after the entire Hercules transport fleet, which served our nation so well for over 50 years, was scrapped to save money .”

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A Ministry of Defense spokesman said: “D-Day 80 will offer a comprehensive program of tributes from today’s armed forces to their forefathers, with a significant amount of activity in France and the UK, involving thousands of personnel, air tickets of the Royal Air Force and Ships of the Royal Navy.”

Labor MP and former defense minister Kevan Jones called on Mr Shapps to resolve the issue.

He told the Daily Mail: “Veterans who took part in the historic operation on the blood-soaked beaches of Normandy and the Nazi-infested territory beyond will be furious that, 80 years on, the Ministry of Defense cannot supply enough planes.

“Grant Shapps should pull his finger and sort this out immediately.”