Fury as five warships and 70 military aircraft to be SCRAPPED in ‘savage’ cuts despite threats from Russia

FIVE warships and 70 subject craft volition beryllium scrapped successful the biggest kit losses for 30 years.

Defence Secretary John Healey revealed the monolithic cuts to the equipped forces conscionable hours aft Russia threatened to unleash World War Three.

A frigate, 2 battle ships and 2 Royal Fleet Auxiliary tankers would ne'er sail again, helium said.

Meanwhile, 31 helicopters and 41 drones are besides being axed to escaped up currency for modern weapons.

Mr Healey claimed it would prevention £500million implicit the adjacent 5 years and vowed to plough the savings backmost into defence.

But critics warned the currency would vanish successful a fund achromatic spread and harm nationalist security, with 1 defence root saying: “These cuts are savage.”

They compared the threats from Russia to the physique up to World War Two and added: “Imagine doing this successful 1938.

“It’s bizarre.”

Assault ships HMS Albion and HMS Bulwark are some being scrapped a decennary aboriginal — leaving the Royal Marines with nary amphibious battle ships.

The frigate HMS Northumberland volition besides beryllium retired, leaving 8 frigates successful work — the lowest fig successful Royal Navy history.

It is presently successful attraction wherever structural harm which was excessively costly to repair was found.

The Royal Fleet Auxiliary tankers RFA Wave Knight and RFA Wave Ruler volition besides go.

The 17-strong fleet of RAF Puma helicopters volition halt flying from March.

Fourteen RAF Chinook choppers volition besides beryllium phased retired implicit the adjacent 4 years.

Mr Healey, who warned of facing further hard decisions successful the future — besides axed the Army’s troubled Watchkeeper drone programme, which includes 41 spy UAVs worthy £1.5billion.

Tory Shadow Defence Secretary James Cartlidge said the cuts meant “scrapping cardinal defence capabilities and weakening our nationalist security”.

The Chief of the Defence Staff Admiral Sir Tony Radakin said the changes allowed absorption “on the modulation to caller capabilities”.