HALF OF OUR HELICOPTERS ARE BROKEN

Tory defence spokesman Liam Fox said: “Of 507 military helicopters in service, only 43 per cent were fit for purpose in June. And fewer than half of our Chinooks were fit for purpose when they are crucial for moving troops round Afghanistan.”

Defence Secretary Bob Ainsworth insisted the Government was doing everything possible to increase the number of helicopters and armoured vehicles available. After a bloody start to this month, which saw the death toll in Afghanistan pass that of the Iraq war, he said no amount of helicopters could have prevented the rising casualties.

Part of the problem stems from Mr Brown’s decision as Chancellor in 2004 to slash the military helicopter budget from nearly £4.5billion to £3billion. Yesterday Tory leader David Cameron asked Mr Brown: “Do you regret the £1.4billion cut in the helicopter programme that you as the Chancellor of the Exchequer pushed through in 2004?” Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg described the Government’s strategy as “over-ambitious in aim and under-resourced in practice”.

He demanded: “When exactly will the Prime Minister find a way to send the desperately needed helicopters to our troops on the ground?”

Meanwhile, in a statement to MPs Mr Brown hinted that a surge of about 700 men sent to Afghanistan to boost security for this summer’s elections could become permanent.

He said: “We will review that commitment after the Afghan elections.” Mr Brown told MPs: “I have been reassured by commanders on the ground and at the top of the armed services that we have the manpower we need for the current operations.”

He said helicopter numbers had increased by 60 per cent in two years and their capability by 84 per cent.

Mr Brown went on: “I spoke with President Karzai yesterday. I urged him to make available this summer – in addition to the 500 already involved in Panther’s Claw – more Afghan army personnel for operations in Helmand so that our hard-won gains can be fully consolidated.”

Yesterday Colonel Kemp said: “We need more troops. In order to make an impact we need another 2,000 to 3,000 – up to three more battlegroups. There is no question that the equipment our soldiers have in Afghanistan is a quantum leap even compared to a year ago but the one item we lack is enough helicopters.

“They allow us to move men very quickly and unexpectedly and they increase our ability to resupply troops on the ground.

“The Taliban is very good at monitoring what we are doing and where we are going, letting them get ahead and place bombs and mines. But helicopters let us deploy troops in unexpected places at unexpected times.”

Last night it emerged that more troops were already on their way to Afghanistan but the number – 140 men who were training in Cyprus – was dismissed by critics as too few.