Military Aircraft: Ministers

(asked on 26th February 2026) - View Source

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the answer of 27 January 2026 to Question 106742 on Military Aircraft: Ministers, whether the use of RAF CSAT aircraft includes use of military helicopters.


Answered by
Luke Pollard Portrait
Luke Pollard
Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
This question was answered on 6th March 2026

The hon. Member will recall that when this Government took office, we cancelled the VIP helicopter contract that had attracted so much criticism in previous years when used by the previous Government.

The current RAF Command Support Air Transport fleet consists of two RAF Envoy IV fixed wing aircraft. The fleet is used for the rapid and efficient transport of small numbers of high priority passengers or freight to deliver critical diplomatic engagement and/or military output. These aircraft offer a flexibility of response unachievable by other means and avoids the use of larger, more expensive, and less discreet aircraft. The Cabinet Office has responsibility for organising Ministerial helicopter transport. There are no military helicopters in the Command Support Air Transport fleet.

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