United Kingdom's former Defense Secretary Ben Wallace reportedly attempted to scuttle a deal for American Chinook helicopters a couple of weeks before quitting from his position, several media outlets claimed on Saturday.
Under the terms of the agreement, US aerospace major Boeing will deliver 14 Chinook CH-47 helicopters to Britain's armed forces. The first of these modern choppers, specializing in anti-submarine activities, are set to arrive in Britain in 2026.
However, Wallace during his stint as Defense Secretary, planned to drastically reduce military spending, and one of the deals proposed to be scrapped was for the US helicopters, the reports stated.
The publications elaborated that in the first days of August, Wallace wrote a letter to the US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, in which he indicated that the contract could be terminated.
But before a decision on the matter could be taken, Wallace left office. Consequently, his replacement Grant Shapps was named as the UK's new defense secretary.