RAF Official Trusted With Leading £6.2b Royal Navy Project

With a career spanning over 35 years in the Royal Air Force, Sir Stephen Hillier is not everyone's first choice to take on one of the most important jobs in the Royal Navy. 

Having never served at sea, the former pilot and flying instructor is now spearheading the Navy's £6.2 billion aircraft carrier programme.

Having been tasked with leading Britain's most ambitious shipbuilding project, Air Marshal Hillier's appointment has been blasted by one critic as "barking mad".

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Former Navy chief Admiral Lord West (pictured below) questioned the decision in the House of Lords, fearing Britain would be branded "an international laughing stock".

Lord West: “I’m sure the Air Marshal is a very good bloke but he has never served at sea, has no experience of naval operations or maritime warfare and that beggars belief.”

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The Ministry of Defence countered the view that the Air Marshal was not qualified for the role by pointing to his "extensive experience of commanding maritime operations". When pressed on details though, the Royal Air Force were not able to provide any information on maritime operations or experience.

Admittedly however, the carrier programme does involve both maritime and air assets including the much maligned F-35B Lightning II aircraft and Merlin helicopters, so the project won't represent completely new ground for the RAF Air Marshal.