Military Aircraft Based at Civilian Airports.

[hisnamesake]

I see this happening in many places in the world and it is something I am not that keen on seeing.

Surely the civilian airport which hosts military aircraft, is a valid military target, in time of conflict, thereby putting innocent civilians at risk. I am aware we fight a war to win at all costs, so I guess it doesn't really matter does it?

As with all things is probably a question of economics.

[Yeller_Gait]

I would also suggest that a majority of civil/mil combined airports started out as military airfields, so it is more a case that civilians now use military airfields rather than the military moving into civilian airports.

As you rightly point out, it is economics, and convenience for passengers with the increase in local airports.

Y_G

[Karl Bamforth]

All airports, civil or military are an early target in a time of war.

Just because its not military now doesn't stop it being used as such in a time of conflict.

[foldingwings]

Autobahns in Eastern & Western Europe were planned to be used as military runways during the Cold War and such strips of highway still offer that as a planned facility in many places on the Globe today. Does that mean it's time to hand in your driving licence, 'hisnamesake'?!!:ugh:

By the way, does your:

thereby putting innocent civilians at risk

mean to suggest that those in the military are guilty of some ill-thought out charge (of yours)?

Foldie:bored:

PS. Thinks, time somebody woke up and smelt the coffee!!!!

[airborne_artist]

Better move all those barracks out of town/city centres, and stop people going shopping in uniform.

Wait for it - we already did that....:ok:

[hisnamesake]

Thanks for the replies.

Would any of you be prepared to set up a machine gun to fire from a hospital, or from a group hostages or POW's using them as shelter?

I am intrigued to know where the "line would be drawn".

[J.A.F.O.]

Perhaps people should check out the Trolls are still being fed thread.

[Gainesy]

I would have no worries about machine-gunning an un-armed Teddy Bear in a Red Cross uniform while his parachute was hung up in a tree.

Now go and do your homework.

[airborne_artist]

I am intrigued to know where the "line would be drawn".In the sand. It's in the rules. "We will fight them on the beaches" - WS Churchill 4th June 1940.

Play with Teddy if you have no homework.

[goudie]

Get real. In total war there is no such 'line'

I am intrigued to know where the "line would be drawn".

[The Real Slim Shady]

In the sand. It's in the rules. "We will fight them on the beaches" - W Churchill 4th June 1940.

Pure genius.
10 out of 10 AA
:D

[minigundiplomat]

hisnamesake,

This thread, and you also it seems, have no point.

You are the weakest link, goodbye.

[foldingwings]

Would any of you be prepared to set up a machine gun to fire from a hospital, or from a group hostages or POW's using them as shelter?

No but I know somebody who would?

Ah, sh*t, no! His own guys hanged him in Baghdad a few years ago, so that won't work.

Hey this is fun. Keep em coming, ferchrisesake!

Foldie

[Ivan Rogov]

Be intrigued no more, this is "where the line is drawn"

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rule_of_Law_in_Armed_Conflicts_Project_(RULAC)

[old developer]

I didn't realise they had Trolls in Bolivia :)

[hisnamesake]

So if you're not prepared to do that? Well what the hell is the tax payer paying you for? To win a war or fight it with your hands behind your backs?

I dont have to tell you, our dear enemy the Taliban don't give a rats about the "rules". So are you there to win or loose?! If you are going to stick to the rules you will loose.

No I am not a troll, just an old civilian pilot coming to the end of his career, who has been spared the horrors of war and may that continue. I did ask what I considered a pertinent question. I received a few smart arsed replies so I added another question to feed the know it alls.

[foldingwings]

Bored now but unfortunately the Mods won't allow me to tell you where to go!:bored:

[goudie]

No one likes a smart arse


I received a few smart arsed replies so I added another question to feed the know it alls.

[A2QFI]

Military aircraft, based at jointly operated airfields, could also be at risk from suicide bombers trying to blow up airliners, so it cuts both ways!

[jayteeto]

If you can't play by the fair rules then its time to give up. Whats the point of fighting 'them' if you are the same as them??
PS. Military units rarely get targeted, they go for underground stations/buses/market places/civilian airliners/etc. If you use your logic from post 1, the SAFEST place would be an airfield with military aircraft. :ok:

[Aerouk]

Prestwick is both a military base and a civi base.

HMS Ganet is based there and the mili ATC service is there also, we also a large amount of US and Canadian air force aircraft passing by. In fact last time I was there we had a visit from an RAF VC-10 and a few hawks.

[hisnamesake]

jayteeto

Fair comment. Trouble is we dont know who "they" are. They are certainly not signatories to the Geneva Convention, dont appear in uniform, declared war on us, so how do you deal with it? Stand and wait to get picked off or move around and get blown to smithereens by an IED? My personal opinion (wrong maybe) is they must be played at their own game.

I do appreciate what the Brits are are trying to do by fighting the scum in Afghanistan and elsewhere but you are getting precious little help from your so called fellow Europeans, not to mention kit. If they are not beaten there of course, we will be fighting them on our own doorsteps quite soon.

[airmail]

I do appreciate what the Brits are are trying to do by fighting the scum in Afghanistan and elsewhere but you are getting precious little help from your so called fellow Europeans, not to mention kit. If they are not beaten there of course, we will be fighting them on our own doorsteps quite soon.

As someone who was at Kings Cross on 7/7 and who also knows people that fortunately survived 9/11, I would suggest that we already are? I'm also sure that lots of people in Madrid may have comments to make on this as well.

[airborne_artist]

Was the Irish terrorism on mainland Britain stopped by the presence of the British Army in the Province?

[brit bus driver]

What's the point here?

Ottawa - mil and civilian.
Winnipeg - mil & civilian.
Half the airports in the States have a Guard ramp.
Northolt - mil & civilian.
Bahrain - ditto.
Muscat - ditto.
Every Italian airfield used for the Balkan AAR dets in the nineties..:cool:
etc etc etc

Or do you just count fast pointy things as mil aircraft?

Confused....:ugh:

[SID East]

Slightly off topic but what about civvies flying off on holiday, in and out of civvy airfields in military aircraft?

At a recent hasty brief on the future tanker, the airframe sharing options (chartering) were outlined. Notwithstanding that the aircraft will be civil registered, I didn't get chance to ask the guy if all the new aircraft would be in the military colour scheme or if some would be kept civil looking.

If the former is the case, could we be taking the bucket and spade brigade off on hols on RAF Airways?

Just a thought.

SID :ok:

[Sven Sixtoo]

I may be having a senior moment, but thinking back to those Law of War lectures (Cranwell, late 70s), isn't there a prohibition on using civilian, or "civilian-like" (can't remember the exact legal phrase) aircraft in a military role?

Sven

[GreenKnight121]

Almost certainly refers to paint schemes, as all the USAF tankers are based on civilian aircraft (KC-135 = B707; KC-10 = DC-10), as well as many other aircraft... not to mention all the European tankers (various Airbus/converted B707s, Lockheed L-1011 Tristar, etc).

Then there are all the troop/cargo transports... the Soviets/Russians had lots of civilian scheduled passenger service aircraft in Aeroflot colors that were versions of the various Illyushin/Antonov military transports, and all the civilian operators of Lockheed L-100s (C-130).

The US "civilian reserve fleet" of passenger planes (the US government had provided subsidies for airline purchases of aircraft with a contracted obligation to provide a certain number of aircraft for US military use in time of war). And all the commercial airliner designs that are serving as full-time military transports (C-9 Skytrain II/DC-9, VC-10, etc).

All of these can only be determined (except at close inspection) to be military or civilian by their paint schemes.

[Finnpog]

I used to love landing at Turin to go skiing and seeing the F104s over at their dispersal.

[teeteringhead]

Was the Irish terrorism on mainland Britain stopped by the presence of the British Army in the Province?..... and of course (to get back to the original question), for nigh on 40 years the majority of military helos in the Province were at .... er .... Belfast International!

Come to think of it, waiting in the OM bar one day waiting for a flight c/o, the windows were rattled when the baddies blew up the cargo terminal. Cuts both ways then!