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Pilot shortage grounds Apaches
LONDON, England -- A lack of trained pilots is forcing the British army to ground dozens of new Apache helicopters for up to four years. Although the U.S.-made aircraft were being delivered on time, training of the crew was three years behind schedule, the British government's spending watchdog said. The delay in using the £3 billion (U.S. $4.6 billion) aircraft could lead to a "significant capability gap" for the army because the missile system on its aging Lynx helicopters cannot be upgraded, the National Audit Office warned. The audit office criticised several aspects of the government's deal to buy the 67 Apache helicopters from contractor Westland in 1995, including a decision to award the training contract to a separate company. ATIL, a company jointly owned by Westland and U.S. manufacturer Boeing, was given the training contract after the government decided Westland's sole offer was too expensive. But ATIL has suffered a series of mishaps, including technical hitches with a flight training simulator that has delayed its delivery by 17 months. Also, the duration of the training courses has been extended from 15 weeks to 26 weeks, partly because the helicopter is now more sophisticated than first envisaged. The original programme also failed to take into account that many more flying days are likely to be lost to poor weather in Britain. Of the 25 helicopters already delivered, 11 have been stored in hangars. Initial pilot training, originally scheduled for 2001, will not start until September 2003 because of the lack of a flight training simulator. The audit office said that between 2002 and 2006 a "large number" of Apaches -- possibly more than half -- will have to be stored in hangars at the air force's base in Shropshire at a cost of £6 million (U.S. $9 million).
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