The UK defence secretary, Grant Shapps, has ordered an urgent review after it emerged there is a shortage of planes for a mass parachute drop to mark the 80th anniversary of D-day.
The conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East have left the RAF’s transport fleet stretched and defence officials are scrambling to find more aircraft for next month’s commemorations in Normandy.
Hundreds of paratroopers were expected to jump into Normandy on the eve of D-day to honour the actions of their predecessors in the second world war, but plans have been scaled back due to a shortage of aircraft.
The Mail on Sunday reported just one plane was left for the Parachute regiment to use for the event but Shapps said he expected more would be found.
He told BBC’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg he had “no doubt at all we’ll have additional planes there”.
“It is actually the case that the A400, which is the aircraft we use, are being used in operations at the moment.
“It’s one of the reasons why I have argued, and successfully argued, to get £75bn more in cash terms into our armed forces because I think you do need to be doing more of these things,” he said.
The RAF’s transport aircraft have played a crucial role dropping aid into Gaza, as well as being involved in operations in Ukraine, leaving resources limited.
Under current plans, paratroopers from 16 Air Assault Brigade combat team will jump from an RAF A400M and the Red Devils parachute display team will also jump into Normandy.
Shapps told GB News he wanted to make sure D-day was “remembered properly” and he had ordered an immediate review of RAF resources.
“We know there are several live wars going on and [planes] are being used for those purposes, but I’m quite sure to commemorate something as significant as D-day we can do a bit better than that, and I’ve undertaken to make sure we do,” he said.
Kevan Jones, the Labour MP and a former defence minister, called on Shapps to resolve the issue out of respect for those who fought for Britain.
“Veterans who took part in the historic operation on the blood-soaked Normandy beaches and the Nazi-infested territory beyond it will rightly be furious that 80 years on, the MoD can’t provide enough planes,” he said. “Grant Shapps should pull his finger out and sort this immediately.”
A Ministry of Defence spokesperson said: “D-day 80 will offer a comprehensive programme of tributes from today’s armed forces to their forebears with a significant amount of activity in both France and the UK, involving thousands of personnel, Royal Air Force flypasts and Royal Navy vessels.
“This will include a commemorative jump by UK paratroopers from an A400M aircraft on 5 June alongside Allied counterparts.”
The Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) warned this year’s 80th anniversary may be “the final major commemoration attended by veterans of D-day”.
It has announced a series of events in the UK where flaming torches will be passed from veterans to young people, representing the handing over of the responsibility for commemoration.
Last week, Rishi Sunak began the commemorative torch relay, handing the torch to Navy seaman D-day veteran Peter Kent, 99, at Horse Guards, London.
Children will also be given D-day history lessons in the coming weeks and a classroom of pupils will be taken on a tour of 10 Downing Street by the prime minister wife, Akshata Murty, on Tuesday to learn about the role of Winston Churchill, who was prime minister during the second world war.
