Skyhawk squadron will go, says English

National's commitment to restoring New Zealand's air combat capability does not include stopping the sale of the present Skyhawk and Aermacchi squadrons.

Although the squadrons were grounded last year, the 17 Skyhawks and 17 Aermacchi jet trainers are still in New Zealand and their sale could be months away.

Announcing his party's defence policy, National leader Bill English scrubbed the idea of stopping their sale as a basis for rebuilding the air combat force.

"We can't put back planes that don't fly. The Skyhawks are at the end of their life ... there is no possibility."

He declined to say whether the more modern Aermacchi jet trainers would be retained.

David Dickens, defence analyst and spokesman for the Save Our Squadrons campaign, who last Friday resigned after a brief stint as a National Party adviser, said the Skyhawks sale should be halted.

They still had about five years' life in them and should be kept until a new squadron was formed.

They could be flying again and the squadron could be up to operational strength in about a year, providing the base for a new combat squadron.

Mr Dickens welcomed National's commitment to restoring the air combat capability and would ask questions about when.

Mr English said he couldn't give a date for restoring an air combat force because it would be a big, complicated job and part of a long-term programme. Neither did he have any estimate of the cost.

He said National would conduct a defence review and put this out for public consultation to build a base of support for its decisions, as had been done by the British and Australian Governments.

Mr Dickens said one idea would be a joint Anzac fighter squadron or a squadron of brand new F-16s. This would cost about $750 million, plus about $75 million a year to keep flying.

Defence Minister Mark Burton said restoring the air combat force could cost up to $3 billion.

- NZPA

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