PPRuNe Forums - View Single Post - Decision to axe Harrier is "bonkers".
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Old 6th Dec 2011, 08:44
  #1630 (permalink)  
glojo
 
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: Torquay, England
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Respect to the United States for buying our fleet of harriers as this will give them a few more years of fixed wing capability.

If we were to buy F-18's as a stop gap cover then does anyone seriously believe it would only be a temporary solution? My thoughts are that once we purchase those aircraft then they will be on our carriers until such time as they wear out, so if we opt to go down that avenue then would we be better off buying the latest state of art Super Hornets. Who in their right mind would want to sell perfectly good, but older second-hand F-18's?

If history is anything to go by then I guess our politicians have signed a contract to give away our harrier fleet at that ridiculously cheap price and that deal is irreversible. We can bleat, we can whine, we can moan, we can even cry but my thoughts are that nothing, NOTHING is going to give us a Naval fixed wing, capability any time soon. (By soon I mean much nearer 2030 than 2020)

Do we try begging India to loan or sell us their worn out SHAR harrier fleet? Should we offer to buy those aircraft at say £10m each having just sold our own low mileage one owner fleet of aircraft for just £1.6m each?

It is over and is India already trying to negotiate with Russia to buy more MIG 29k's to replace these old worn out aircraft that are obsolete?

I am guessing the Fairey Swordfish might be able to both take off and land from Illustrious but would it have the power to negotiate the Ski slope? We might have to install a ski lift to help it get to the peak!!

Great Britain Aircraft Carriers 0
India Aircraft Carriers THREE!!

How much Foreign Aid do we give India?


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