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• Two out of three of the UK's 186 fleet of Tornado bombers are grounded;   
• Fewer than 40 per cent of other frontline aircraft, such as Harriers and Jaguars, are ready to fly at short notice;  
• The Ministry of Defence has spent almost £1 billion developing a laser-guided bombing system that does not work properly;  
• There is shortage of nearly 20 per cent of junior officer fast jet pilots and the RAF is having a severe problem in retaining trained pilots:  

These latest revelations   ocome a month after MoD figures showed that a third of the Army's newest tanks and more than half of its older models are not fully operational. They also follow leaked reports showing British forces were severely hampered by equipment failures in Kosovo.  

MoD figures given to the Liberal Democrat defence spokesman, Menzies Campbell, reveal that only 53 out of the country's 186 Tornado GR1/4 bombers are ready to fly immediately, In June 1998 the comparable figure   was 81. The majority of other frontline jets are also grounded. Only 34 out of 90 Harriers are fully serviceable, 28 out of 76 Jaguars and 59 out of 112 Tornado F3 fighter aircraft. The majority of the RAF's helicopters are in a similar situation: only 55 out of 119 are fully operational.  
While MoD secrecy makes it impossible to find the exact state of repair of the air force, one senior RAF insider said the snapshot given by the MoD painted a 'rosy picture' and the real situation was actually much worse. He said:   'The numbers given by the Government were taken at 8am; by the afternoon some squadrons would be lucky to have one plane airborne.'  

Campbell, who will table questions for Defence Secretary Geoff Hoon tomorrow in Parliament, said: 'These figures are disturbing... there does seem to be a fundamental and underlying problem that needs answering.'  

The alarming state of affairs within the RAF questions the role Tony Blair sees for Britain's military as being a rapid reaction force leading   Europe and UN peacekeeping missions around the globe.  

Tory defence spokesman Robert Key said: 'The Government has been talking big with empty wallets.The RAF simply cannot meet its growing commitments with its budgets being cut.' Since the 1991 Gulf war the RAF has lost about half of its squadrons.  

According to senior RAF sources, the most scandalous issue revolves around the 'disastrous' Tornado upgrade   programme run by British Aerospace - now called BAE Systems.  

This was supposed to ensure that RAF bombers would have up-to-date weapon systems to ensure they could fulfil the rapid reaction role demanded of it after the Cold War.  

Yet several years after the upgrade started and after a £1bn of public money has been spent, the system allowing the Tornados to use laser-guided missiles does not work.  

One RAF insider close to the upgrade said: 'It is an astonishing and scandalous waste of taxpayers' money. On some of the planes it actually seems to perform worse than when the upgrade first started.'  

The upgrade has been a hugely divisive issue within the RAF with many arguing it should have been carried out internally.  

A similar upgrade on the Jaguar which was done by the RAF itself was highly successful, underbudget and on time. It cost less than £1m per aircraft. So far the Tornado upgrade is hundreds of millions over budget and will cost more than £6m per aircraft.  

Another senior air force source told  The Observer that the RAF training sytem is close to collapse. Out of the 554 junior officer fast jet pilots required, only 459 posts have been filled. With many trained pilots frustrated at the lack of time spent in the air, many are leaving to join civil airlines.  

The MoD angrily refuted claims that the RAF's frontline was in crisis and said that while many aircraft were being serviced or upgraded they could be made available quickly in the event of a major crisis.