Scrap the RAF

[gredawarha]

Hello all

Just been listening to the news and thought I would post about the RAF and the UK need to cut budgets.

My question to you is should we scrap or heavily reduce the RAF.

Sure the euro fighter is a very good plane, but it cannot defend our outer outpost, (Falklands etc) it cannot help our forces in Afghanistan.

Surely lets reduce to a sensible UK airspace defence force and invest the rest in our expeditionary forces?

 

[Adrian Wainer]

Hello all

Just been listening to the news and thought I would post about the RAF and the UK need to cut budgets.

My question to you is should we scrap or heavily reduce the RAF.

Sure the euro fighter is a very good plane, but it cannot defend our outer outpost, (Falklands etc) it cannot help our forces in Afghanistan.

Surely lets reduce to a sensible UK airspace defence force and invest the rest in our expeditionary forces?

Scrap the useless dork Catherine Margaret Ashton, Baroness Ashton of Upholland from her EU truffle train job instead.

 

[Chrisious]

Personally I can't see any point in scrapping the RAF and given very few other Nations feel that way either seems to make this nonsense. Would the USAF feel comfortable having to put up with the tangle of dealing with another service just to get cooperation? If this has something to do with inter-service rivalry as a bystander I find this uncomfortable reading. I could certainly think of a recent case where a group of marines beat to death an RN sailor in a drunken dispute in a nightclub. As a member of the public and taxpayer, I don't need to hear these things and then have to put up with the squabbling that goes on between the services. Think what is really needed is an overseer who can step in and read people the riot act when things have gone too far.

 

[Aussie Digger]

Hello all

Just been listening to the news and thought I would post about the RAF and the UK need to cut budgets.

My question to you is should we scrap or heavily reduce the RAF.

Sure the euro fighter is a very good plane, but it cannot defend our outer outpost, (Falklands etc) it cannot help our forces in Afghanistan.

Surely lets reduce to a sensible UK airspace defence force and invest the rest in our expeditionary forces?

1. No. the UK is one of the wealthiest Countries in the world. it can afford a strong military force and should maintain it.

2. Eurofighter Typhoons can and currently ARE deployed to the Falklands and are providing air defence for the entire Falklands chain.

3. There is no reason why the Eurofighter could not be deployed to Afghanistan to support the Coalition. It is lacking some capabilities compared to GR4 Tornado and GR9 Harriers (Brimstone, RAPTOR etc) but with it's 27mm cannon, Paveway IV and Litening III targetting pods it will be able to perform the majority of air support missions required in Afghanistan.

 

[gredawarha]

1. No. the UK is one of the wealthiest Countries in the world. it can afford a strong military force and should maintain it.

2. Eurofighter Typhoons can and currently ARE deployed to the Falklands and are providing air defence for the entire Falklands chain.

3. There is no reason why the Eurofighter could not be deployed to Afghanistan to support the Coalition. It is lacking some capabilities compared to GR4 Tornado and GR9 Harriers (Brimstone, RAPTOR etc) but with it's 27mm cannon, Paveway IV and Litening III targetting pods it will be able to perform the majority of air support missions required in Afghanistan.

I was unaware that the Eurofighter Typhoon was stationed on the Falklands. Where is it flown from for Afghanistan missions?

I guess the reason for my post was that many people are talking about how we may not get the two new carriers in the capacity they were designed originally intended for. Recent papers suggest that the Harrier is to be scrapped. My concern is that should something kick off somewere we will not have the capability to project force?

 

[Kilo 2-3]

Sure, the Harrier is probably going to be heading out the door sometime soon. But in all likelihood it's going to be replaced with the F-35B, which is a vastly superior platform in nearly every aspect of capability and performance.

Yes, it's very likely we're going to see "capability holidays." The Harriers are getting old and the F-35 won't be operational for a while. But in my opinion, getting your hardware and systems sometime in the near future beats never getting it at all.

Plus force projection isn't just limited to aircraft carriers and fighter jets. There's many, many other components that go into it, and multiple alternative means of projecting force (sub-launched cruise missiles, etc.) So, even if problems arise or delays occur during development/procurement, the UK will still have some means of global reach.

 

[Aussie Digger]

I was unaware that the Eurofighter Typhoon was stationed on the Falklands. Where is it flown from for Afghanistan missions?

Yep the Typhoons replaced Tornado F3's in the Falklands air defence some time ago. From recollection they fly from RAF base Mt Pleasant, but it wouldn't be real hard to check it. Wiki can probably confirm it.

RAF has 4x Typhoons in the Falklands at the present time, though this could reinforced pretty quickly if required. 4x Typhoons provide a pretty capable force against what Argentina could throw against them though. Especially in conjunction with RAF ground based air defence assets and RN naval air defence assets...

Typhoons are not currently deployed in Afghanistan. I simply suggested earlier that they could, but if they were to be deployed, I guess they'd be deployed to Kandahar, where the Tornado GR4's and until recently the Harrier GR9's have been based...

I guess the reason for my post was that many people are talking about how we may not get the two new carriers in the capacity they were designed originally intended for. Recent papers suggest that the Harrier is to be scrapped. My concern is that should something kick off somewere we will not have the capability to project force?

I wouldn't put much faith in what newspapers say about defence. The report on the UK Defence Review is due out this month so you won't have long to wait to find out the truth.

I'm guessing some Tornado and Harrier elements may be retired early to protect Typhoon and F-35B purchases, the UK will still get it's 2x carriers because the penalties in cancelling them will be too high, RN will lose a few frigates and Army will lose some tanks, APC's and some artillery.

Overall, the UK will still maintain a fairly strong military, even if only one carrier is operated as a carrier.

Update - Not bad guesses, except RAF have lost ASTOR and MR4A, instead of the Tornados...

 

[riksavage]

There will as ever be winners and losers. The UK has to fund new threats (cyber attacks), which simply didn't exist to the same degree 20 odd years ago. Plus the asymmetrical threats not going away.

Haig's comments about focusing on future potential failed states (Yemen and Somalia) is good news for the RN. You need safe real estate to conduct operations against such basket cases, something the Carriers can provide.

Harrier or Tornado will go. The RAF would like to keep the latter (too many senior officers raised flying the thing), the army and navy want to retain the GR9's. It proved its worth in the CAS role in A-Stan and had a reported 95% availability rate. Ditching Tornado will save a hell of a lot more money , which could be used to fund UAV or rotary lift. Rumor has it the RAF will receive 160 Typhoon, more than enough to cover CAP UK/Falklands and still provide A-Stan coverage if and when they are able to carry Raptor.

The SF community will come out the happiest they are scheduled to have a major funding boost (SAS/SBS/SFSG/SRR) with lots of new gucci kit being jointly developed with US tier one assets.

 

[swerve]

Overall, the UK will still maintain a fairly strong military, even if only one carrier is operated as a carrier.

It's always been the plan to have only one operational carrier, & for one to operate as an LPH when both are operational.

 

[Doering]

Hello all

Just been listening to the news and thought I would post about the RAF and the UK need to cut budgets.

My question to you is should we scrap or heavily reduce the RAF.

Sure the euro fighter is a very good plane, but it cannot defend our outer outpost, (Falklands etc) it cannot help our forces in Afghanistan.

Surely lets reduce to a sensible UK airspace defence force and invest the rest in our expeditionary forces?

Definitely not! That would be way too drastic with unpredictable consequences. The UK will pull out of it's woes gradually.