The major projects report 2012 : appendices and project summary sheets, Ministry of Defence

In respect of its largest defence projects there are early signs that the Ministry of Defence has begun to make realistic trade-offs between cost, time, technical requirements and the amount of equipment to be purchased.

Nevertheless, the continuing variances to cost and time show the MOD needs to do consistently better.

This report, which gives a progress review of the 16 largest defence projects, shows that in the last year there has been a total forecast slippage of 139 months and increase in costs of GBP468 million.

This means that, since the projects were approved, costs have increased by GBP6.6 billion (around 12 per cent more than the planned cost) and the projects have been delayed by 468 months, taking almost a third longer than originally expected.

It would be unrealistic to expect MOD and industry to identify every risk at the start of technically challenging projects.

However, the continuing problems indicate that MOD has more to learn from historic.

The MOD is accepting the capability risk and some wider costs resulting from these project delays and is having to make difficult decisions about long-term capabilities. The MOD has made a significant investment in new and upgraded helicopters to address the shortfall identified in the NAO's 2004 report.

The MOD has also spent GBP787 million on air transport and air-to-air refuelling aircraft to support current operations and address capability gaps, such as those caused by the previously reported delays to the A400M transport aircraft.

However, capability gaps remain