The latest Strategic Defence and Security Review (SDSR) by United Kingdom has called for the RAF Sentinel R1 fleet to remain in service till the next decade.
.jpg)
By Tim Felce (Airwolfhound) (Sentinel – RIAT 2007Uploaded by russavia) [CC BY-SA 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons
The 2010 SDSR had called for the ISR planes to be retired once British operations in Afghanistan had ceased. The retirement date later shifted to the right to 2018. Flight Global says the fleet is likely to be phased out by 2025.
The Raytheon Shadow R1 Beechcraft King Air 350CER-based signals intelligence aircraft fleet will also remain in service till at least 2030 and the SDSR seems to suggest that the fleet will be expanded from six to eight aircraft.