View Full Version : Harrier jets stay in Afghanistan
Lyneham Lad
25th Apr 2006, 12:42
From the BBC web site:-
Six RAF Harrier GR7 jets are to stay longer in Afghanistan to support UK troops and their allies on the ground.
The planes had been due to end their deployment in June but will continue until the end of March next year after calls from Nato and coalition chiefs.
As he visited UK troops in Afghanistan, Defence Secretary John Reid said the Harriers were "an essential tool".
They would provide reconnaissance and air support to ground troops under fire from insurgents, he said.
The link (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/4942314.stm)
I imagine that some people will be mightily relieved at this extension, particularly given today's pronouncement by the Taliban.
SALAD DODGER
25th Apr 2006, 12:45
Sounds good to me, along with the Apache we can finally give our lads the air support they deserve.
Dogfish
25th Apr 2006, 13:45
Six airframes is hardly a force to be reckoned with is it? When you consider the size of the area they are being asked to police it would make sense to have at least twice as many. Same old story really. Send our boys into a s:mad: t storm and try to do it on a shoe string budget. Guess our lords and masters don't give a flying f:mad:k for the boys on the ground as usual.
John Blakeley
25th Apr 2006, 15:03
Let us hope that they do not lose any more to rocket attacks on the airfield at Kandahar as reported in RAFA Airmail late last year - one a write off and the other a "political" Cat 4.
nigegilb
25th Apr 2006, 15:30
Congratulations to James Arbuthnot and the HCDC. MoD were all set to pull out the Harriers until the HCDC stepped in and criticised the lack of support for the troops. Govt has found the money from somewhere. Amazing what a bit of pressure can do.
Data-Lynx
25th Apr 2006, 16:30
The well spun MoD Link comments: Defence Secretary extends ‘invaluable’ Harriers mission in southern Afghanistan (http://www.mod.uk/DefenceInternet/DefenceNews/DefencePolicyAndBusiness/DefenceSecretaryExtendsinvaluableHarriersMissionInSouthernAf ghanistan.htm)
Following requests from both NATO and coalition commanders, the MoD has agreed to extend their deployment initially from June 2006 to 31 March 2007
A and C
25th Apr 2006, 18:32
How history repeats it's self the RAF is back to doing the same job as it was in the 1920,s.
L J R
25th Apr 2006, 18:41
Seems that I cannot check my Pay (JPA is it called??), I may as well be somewhere where I can bury my head in the sand and ignore all financial responsibility for the next 12 months.
Our Defence Secretary was quoted by the BBC yesterday on his visit to Afganistan as saying:
"nobody should be under any illusion that if attacked we will defend ourselves"
Has there been a change to our RoE that doesn't allow self defence either now? :O
sprucemoose
26th Apr 2006, 11:06
Sorry nigegilb, but I don't think you can attribute this decision solely to the pressures of the HCDC. I would think the poor state of the runway at Kandahar (which means the replacement Dutch F-16s can't be deployed as planned) also had something to do with it, and from talking to Harrier mates from early this year they already knew that 800 NAS would be going out later in the year. No-one on the ground at Kandahar while I was there earlier this month thought the det would end on 30 June either.
Regardless, it's good to see common sense prevail and I have every faith that the 1 and 4 Sqn or 800 NAS guys who will continue flying out there will continue to do a great job for the UK and other ISAF troops on the ground.
nigegilb
26th Apr 2006, 13:15
Spruce, I bow to your knowledge of the situation on the ground. All I can say is I have received an email from The Chairman of HCDC and he is delighted with the decision. You are probably to busy to read the report by the HCDC on the Deployment to Afg but please believe me it was hard hitting and they put a lot of pressure on MoD to make this decision.
Take care,
NG
sprucemoose
26th Apr 2006, 15:18
Nige,
I did read large parts of the HCDC report (it also throws up some very interesting items on the C-130 countermeasures issue in the evidence section) and think it made some very good points.
Hopefully this is a sign that the MoD is going to be increasingly willing to spend money more readily and not take stupid risks on the frontline. But I wouldn't bet my house on it!
In case you fancy a look at the Harrier activities in more detail, maybe the following link might be of interest http://www.flightglobal.com/Articles/2006/04/25/Navigation/190/206079/Road+to+Helmand.html
Cheers,
Moose
nigegilb
26th Apr 2006, 15:57
Moose,
After what I said in front of camera today I think you are probably right. Take it you are in look east region. Turn the box on at 1830.
Regards,
Nige
sprucemoose
26th Apr 2006, 16:15
Sorry Nige - we don't get that in Sussex!
If you have digital satellite TV it's on channel 981 for those outside of the Look East region.
lukeylad
5th May 2006, 22:48
Let us hope that they do not lose any more to rocket attacks on the airfield at Kandahar as reported in RAFA Airmail late last year - one a write off and the other a "political" Cat 4.
Evening all just to let you know that the harrier damaged in afganistan has completed its rebuild and is doing engine runs:
http://www.airliners.net/search/photo.search?&airlinesearch=UK%20-%20Air%20Force&nr_of_rows=15559&first_this_page=135&page_limit=15&sort_order=photo_id+DESC&nr_pages=1038&engine_version=6.0