SDSR - The alternative view...

[Lima Juliet]

Let's face it, the Country is skint and spending needs to come under control thanks to the previous clowns in government. I actually think that the SDSR is pretty good from the Govt given a "hospital pass" from the previous encumbents! Here's my two-penneth:

RN

Kept the 2 "big ticket" items alive with CVF and Trident. Well played as the "smaller ticket" items will be played for at a later date? :ok:

Saving money right now by ditching Ark Royal and/or Lusty or Ocean. :ok:

Saved the Royal Marines :ok:

Army

Merging the many Division HQs into one - just like Navy and Air did some time ago. :ok:

Get rid of lots of tanks that have done c0ck all for years! :ok:

Reduce artillery numbers - unguided munitions are becoming a thing of the past. :ok:

Reduce their uniformed Admin overhead - about time too, the RN and RAF did this 15 years ago. :ok:

RAF

Reducing HQ Air by 25%. :ok:

Ditching the lame duck, and from what I hear, questionably safety audited MRA4. :ok:

Ditching single role capabilities like Sentinel after Afghan ops are over to be replaced by undisclosed multi-role capability. :ok:

Ditching GR9 - that only went on ops twice using VSTOL in Sierra Leone and Falklands, the rest of the time using CTOL. :ok:

Winding back RAF Regt a little bit - how on earth can we justify the current levels of FP after Afghanistan is over? :ok:

Rationalising the SH and AT fleets. :ok:

Joint stuff

Rationalising the Defence Estate - long overdue! :ok:

Manpower - the emotive bit!

Civil Servants - shock of 1/3rd to go, but let's face it long overdue. I know Service Guys at DE&S in departments with 20-odd people in it who exclaim they have no idea what they all do/achieve! For example, what does the Program Support Function actually do!!! Why do we still have service travel cells with 2-3 civil servants when we can easily book online using a Wg Cdr's or Gp Capt's corporate GPC? I would suggest that many savings can be made - just depends on the Unions!!!

RN - 5,000. Hard, but I suggest achievable when you look at maybe 20% redundancy and the rest natural wastage/low recruiting.

Army - 7,000. As said above, plenty of fat to be trimmed within the Army's Admin overhead.

RAF - 5,000. Hard, but again achievable like the Navy.

I suspect that there will be jobs in and around the new force structure under private support contracts; so with a nice redundacy package and immediate pension this might not be so bad.

From an RAF perspective, at least all the "let's chop the RAF and give it to the RN and Army b0ll0x went away". I honestly believe that this is the best we could have hoped for and I believe that the Govt and Def Chiefs have got it about right.:D

So there you are, I thought I would post an alternative view - it makes a change from my usual whining and whinging!

Standing by for incoming!!!

LJ

[Pontius Navigator]

Civil Servants - shock of 1/3rd to go, but let's face it long overdue.

But will they be hard posts or soft ones?

Soft ones are registry staffs at MOB, mess staffs that have not been contractorised yet, stores, MT?

Or hard ones such as the HQ staffs at DTE and DE etc?

[Lima Juliet]

PN

I believe that 30% at DE&S is the top headline...although that will include some servicemen.

[JFZ90]

what does the Program Support Function actually do?


This may warrant its own thread.

No useful cross cutting analysis or direction that I could ascertain!

[North Front]

Leon,

Thank you for showing some moral courage and speaking against the tide of angst. Whilst it is tragic news for a chunk of our personnel, it could have been much, much, much worse. I agree with you. At the risk of being branded a toady I think CAS has played a blinder in the face of Army and Navy leaking and backstabbing and much ill-informed nonesense. The RAF of 2020 owes a great deal to Sir Steve and the others that have worked so hard over the last few months.

****ty times... but let's see what happens to the police etc

[Lima Juliet]

North Front

Thanks mate - for what its worth I could be one of the 25% at Air Cmd that gets the chop! But hey, we'll all find jobs if we're worth our salt; which I believe all service folk truly are.

LJ

[Flarkey]

leon said...

Ditching single role capabilities like Sentinel after Afghan ops are over to be replaced by undisclosed multi-role capability

is this a 'real rumour' or have you just made it up? The sdsr does not even hint at any replacement for sentinel or any other big grey over budget recently cancelled project. (other than RJ)

[Lima Juliet]

It will also have strategic surveillance and intelligence platforms as part of our broader ISTAR capability, including: E-3D Sentry AWACS (Airborne Warning and Control System) to provide airborne command, control and surveillance; Rivet Joint signals intelligence aircraft to provide independent strategic intelligence gathering; and a range of remotely piloted air systems.


We only have 1 "remotely piloted air system" at present and I suspect it will link to

The U.K. MoD has recently launched its Scavenger ISTAR requirement with the aim of down-selecting a winning UAV design in 2012. The UAV will be optimised for deep and persistent ISTAR beyond the UK’s existing General Atomics MQ-9 Reaper armed UAV. The down-select will, of course, depend on the outcome of the UK’s Strategic Defence and Security Review (SDSR), which is due to be concluded by September 2010. Scavenger will be a sub-element of a wider ISTAR project, now known as Soloman, but previously entitled Dabinett and intended to improve the analysis and dissemination of intelligence.


and then

SOURCE:Flight International

Northrop Grumman eyes UK Global Hawk sale

By Andrew Doyle

Northrop Grumman is looking at innovative financing options in an effort to further its "aspiration" of selling Global Hawk unmanned air systems to the UK, despite looming cuts to the country's defence budget.

The US company expects to hold discussions with UK Ministry of Defence officials at this month's Farnborough air show about the potential use of the Global Hawk to meet UK surveillance requirements.

Ian Milne, Northrop Grumman Electronic Systems vice-president for the UK, Scandinavia and the Baltics, says the company is prepared to look at a service-provision arrangement as the UK's tight defence budget may preclude an outright sale.

Could the Global Hawk meet the UK's Scavenger requirements ?

The large UAV platform is being offered in competition with several others to meet the UK's Scavenger requirement, which seeks a persistent intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition and reconnaissance capability to enter use from around 2015 to 2018.

The Global Hawk has already been selected by NATO, and the Euro Hawk version being developed together with EADS to meet Germany's signals intelligence needs recently had its first flight.

"If you look at the range of roles that the Global Hawk is currently doing, from broad area maritime surveillance using SAR/GMTI radars, to SIGINT packages, to lots of other things, there may well be an opportunity in the future if the UK decides a substantial UAV could take on some of these roles," says Milne.

For a UK acquisition of Global Hawk, he says there are "innovative business models we could consider, rather than saying 'here is the unit price, goodbye'. Maybe we could do some form of power-by-the-hour, or surveillance-by-the-square-kilometre. This is something that the company is going to have to offer if it is to address markets that are fiscally stretched, such as the UK."

Northrop believes that the long-endurance multi-intelligence vehicle hybrid airship - recently selected by the US Army - could also be a candidate for Scavenger. The company is partnered with UK-based Hybrid Air Vehicles for the project.


Global Hawk could easily replace Sentinel and more...

[The B Word]

More info to read between the lines...

DATE:13/07/10

SOURCE:Flight International

FARNBOROUGH: UK unmanned air vehicles

By Craig Hoyle

The RAF expects to continue flying its Reapers for as long as UK forces remain in Afghanistan, but the MoD has already outlined its plans to acquire a replacement persistent intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition and reconnaissance capability to enter use around 2015-17. Current offerings could include BAE Systems' Mantis, the EADS UK-promoted X-UAS/Talarion and General Atomics' Predator C/Avenger designs.

[Willard Whyte]

At least with so many players in the UAV/UAS/RPAS market we, UK PLC, may not get completely stiffed by BAES. This time.

[The B Word]

Finger's crossed, eh? :ok:

[Roadster280]

A fair counterpoint, well played.

However, there are two very serious issues that get a decided thumbs-down in terms of capability.

1. No Maritime Patrol capability. As an island nation, that's just plain stupid. As the nuclear deterrent rests on submarines that must deploy from a single base on patrol, and when that single base is in a confined channel, the deletion of this capability severely compromises the credibility of the deterrent. If Ivan truly wanted to kick off, all he has to do is deploy his submarines against the departing patrol boat to nullify any response. What are we going to do? Hastily re-arm one of the other boats and launch an attack from the surface in Faslane? When Faslane has just been nuked?

2. A decade of no offensive aircraft at sea. We'd have been better off putting a few million into HMS Belfast to at least give a gunboat diplomacy option. A lot more credible than an aircraftless carrier in five years.

Other than that, not a bad defence, but those two holes are gaping wounds with not so much as a bandaid in sight for one, and the promise of a prosthetic in 10 years time for the other.

[Roger the cabin boy]

Willard - I would love to think you're right, but I can't help but suspect that we'll end up with a PoS like Mantis, rather than something "foreign" (and proven, and cheaper, and better, and so on....)

[mick2088]

The French defence minister Herve Morin recently told the French parliament that the country is quite keen to work with the UK to develop a "remotely piloted air system" that would also meet that Scavenger requirement. They appear to be also keen on buying the Reaper as a short-term solution until such a system is available. Probably can now discount everything else on that list now other than the only twin-engined offering that isn't the Talarion or American.

[The B Word]

1. No Maritime Patrol capability. As an island nation, that's just plain stupid. As the nuclear deterrent rests on submarines that must deploy from a single base on patrol, and when that single base is in a confined channel, the deletion of this capability severely compromises the credibility of the deterrent. If Ivan truly wanted to kick off, all he has to do is deploy his submarines against the departing patrol boat to nullify any response. What are we going to do? Hastily re-arm one of the other boats and launch an attack from the surface in Faslane? When Faslane has just been nuked?


The RN believe they will do this with their SK5s, SSNs, FFs and DDs for the time being. E-3D can do some surface surveillance work and also top cover C2 for another Piper Alpha - but by no means a replacement for MRA4s original potential.

2. A decade of no offensive aircraft at sea. We'd have been better off putting a few million into HMS Belfast to at least give a gunboat diplomacy option. A lot more credible than an aircraftless carrier in five years.


How about 30+ TLAM from 1x SSN to produce the same effect as half a dozen Harriers? What we need is real Carrier Strike and F-35C gives us that. Also, if the CATOBARs are installed then we can always embark other Allies Naval FJs or even lend/lease some F-18s from the "boneyard"?

[TorqueOfTheDevil]

Leon,

I broadly agree with you, but I do think the cuts could have been far better targeted. Getting rid of the Nimrod while keeping E-3 and Red Arrows? I have nothing against either Reds or Sentries, but an MPA is surely much more use to us?

B Word,

Several problems with your suggestion: the RN SK5s are all about to be scrapped, and the E-3 is highly unlikely to see use as a SAR C2 platform due to the difficulty of holding a high readiness (I was told this by an E-3 wallah recently). Even if they managed to get on scene, they would be nowhere near as proficient at providing top cover as a Nimrod crew due to lack of experience/training at the role. Maybe we could have a whip round and send some copies of the IAMSAR manual to Waddington?

[The B Word]

TOTD

the RN SK5s are all about to be scrapped, and the E-3 is highly unlikely to see use as a SAR C2 platform due to the difficulty of holding a high readiness (I was told this by an E-3 wallah recently). Even if they managed to get on scene, they would be nowhere near as proficient at providing top cover as a Nimrod crew due to lack of experience/training at the role

Ok, how about Merlin HAS1 (or are they called HM1 yet?) - sorry forgot the SK pingers were OSD soon. As for readiness for E-3D - 120 is readily achievable, I know, I've done it! (can do 60 at a push or even 30 from the jet - with crew fatigue limfacs). On scene they have a multitude of HF/VHF/UHF/SATCOM plus AUTOCAT and datalinks - plus they have qualified controllers to control rescue helicopters and aircraft using one of the most powerful surveillance radars you can get. C2 is the E-3D's raison-d'etre and so I see no issues. As for experience, I would estimate the average E-3D crew has 3 or 4 ex-Nimrod guys on board its normal crew of 18. The trouble for the E-3D is that they can't be everywhere at once so if you task it for SAR standby then you can't sit QRA, go to Afghanistan or do normal NATO AEW duties (and the odd Red Flag etc...) - too few crews and not enough aircraft. I guess the planners will need to decide where the priority lay?

[ShortFatOne]

"Ditching the lame duck, and from what I hear, questionably safety audited MRA4."

There was no question about the safety audit process, it was carried out with due diligence and some issues were raised. These issues were being worked to an agreed resolution (they actually accrued to a less than 10 minus 15 event but the project decided they should be looked at anyway) in line with current MAA advice and in the spirit of post-HC guidance. The project was trying to do the right thing. If we (MRA4) have been sacrificed for 'doing the right thing' then there is no point in continuing. I would much prefer to end my RAF career doing the right thing, rather than continuing to 'make do' and hoping I won't get caught out.

P.S

The B Word

How many times are you allowed to fire up that big 'ol AEW radar (with a martime mode that is as subtle as "F&*K me, there's a contact on the surface") dish in peacetime?

As a recently made redundant maritime puke of 20 years, if you f^&k3rs could have done our job, we would have been out of business years ago.

It's arseh*les like you who get promoted and end up making ****e policy decisions that have no basis in anything other than your own, selfish interests.

[Lima Juliet]

Shortfatone

Sorry poor use of "audit". From what I understand, the audit picked up a bunch of issues that never should have been there in the first place. I've heard some real horror stories but I don't know what truth is attached to them - care to shed any light?

There are, however, some irefutable facts surrounding MRA4:

12 years late
Hugely over budget
1st and only aircraft delivered last March
Hardly turned a wheel up until now (October)
Didn't go to RIAT or Farnnorough (even prototype with TPs)

I smell something fishy and it's not a kipper!

LJ

[The B Word]

Handbags at dawn, eh?

By the way, I never said it would totally replace an MPAs bespoke capabilities, but it can offer some offset to the huge capability gap the loss of MRA4 will leave. If we had used the lessons we learned with Nimwacs and gone for a better idea than MRA4 then I suggest this whole sorry mess wouldn't be happening right now - quite simply the MoD/RAF backed a loser with MRA4.

Plenty of jobs coming up for ISTAR Aircrew and Engs on Support Helos, Reaper, RIVET JOINT, Shadow and Scavenger over the next few years; you'll just need to uproot from Morayshire to take them.

PS You can turn the AN/APY on and off, as and when - I don't get your point? It is designed for high level work and is optimised for a wide area picture, if that's what you're getting at.

[Modern Elmo]

played a blinder

Please translate that, for the benefit of foreigners.

[RumPunch]

Tony Cameron, you are a nobody,get ****** you are the most unliked spock ever.............

[Occasional Aviator]

Actually I think LJ's right. I think this is pretty much the best solution we could have come up with within the constraints. Yes, there are some big gaps, but there were always going to have to be. The Army, of course, being in contact, has escaped relatively unscathed, but I suspect their time will come.

[500N]

"played a blinder

Please translate that, for the benefit of foreigners."



Done well, played with a lot of skill. Often used to describe someone's
performance in a sport.

.

[NURSE]

Would disagree with the analysis on heavy armour it lead the way in Bosnia, Kosovo and Iraq. However senior staff officers with funny coloured berets have been forecasting the demise of the MBT and Armoured infantry since the mid 80's and promoting the use of an insertion method for troops last used by UK in 1950's in Suez. AT helecopters aren't a replacement for the MBT they supplement it well. The cuts is AS90 are understandable with the loss of armour however it still has better reach than light gun.
The support hele fleet should be rationalised and put under a single user service Puma II plan should be scrapped, SK4 replaced by merlin and in fast jet aim for all single seat fleet getting rid of the need for expensive officers who in long term won't be needed.
Nimrod maintained and cuts made to non operational Airforce squadrons 32 sqn cut back to senior officer/royal use only

[Failed_Scopie]

Occasional Aviator, you are quite correct, the Army's time will come i.e. by the next SDSR. As an Army Officer it gives me no pleasure to say this, but we have not played a blinder, far from it. All CGS (and CDS) have achieved is a stay of execution, but I very much doubt if the General Officer ranks will take this opportunity to undertake the radical surgery required. Instead it will be imposed from above, accompanied by lots of gnashing of teeth and wailing. Here are Failed Scopie's offerings for immediate savings within the Army:


Disband the REME and merge it with the RLC
The RE to no longer undertake EOD with the limited exception of search - this will concentrate EOD capability exclusively within the RLC
Merge all CIS branches within the R Signals - already the Infantry require enhanced RLDs with an R Signals RSO - BOWMAN is too complicated for them to easily cope with
Merge 17 and 165 Port Regts - no need to retain an underemployed Reg Regt as well as a TA one
RF Bde HQ's - plenty of scope for savings/mergers there e.g. 2 (SE) Bde and 145 (S) Bde
Kings Tp RHA to disband - as a former RA officer I shouldn't say this but they are not employable in any other role
Except for pressings reasons, do not let SO2s and SO1s serve until 55 - the Army has far too many old officers (hopefully the impending withdrawal of CEA will go some way to achieving this)
Ratioanlise all UOR equipment in service - decide what is to be kept (not much I would suggest) and bin/sell the rest
Close BATUS and move it to Fort Hood
And one for the RAF - the Tornado force is only safe as long as HERRICK rumbles on and will be dispensed with without direct replacement in 2015-16 (again, all the CAS has achieved is a stay of execution);)Over to you chaps.

F_S

[Pontius Navigator]

The trouble for the E-3D is that they can't be everywhere at once so if you task it for SAR standby then you can't sit QRA

You may, or some of your ex-maritime members may, remember that SAR was not the sole mission for the Nimrod SAR.

[airborne_artist]

played a blinder

Please translate that, for the benefit of foreigners."



Done well, played with a lot of skill. Often used to describe someone's
performance in a sport

In an office/work environment can be taken to mean that the player worked the situation, normally totally fairly, entirely to his advantage, without anyone else spotting his tactics/direction until it was too late.

[Pontius Navigator]

Except for pressings reasons, do not let SO2s and SO1s serve until 55 - the Army has far too many old officers (hopefully the impending withdrawal of CEA will go some way to achieving this)

Drop the default rank from SO2 to SO3. The RAF has plenty of sqn ldrs but also has many elderly flt lt.

[NURSE]

Failed Scopie obviously no one ever briefed you on the troops operational role!

Pool of Driver/Radio operators and DROPS drivers and many of the gunners are light gun current they have deployed as individual reinforcements to units going on ops very useful capability. As well as keeping the gunners in the public eye

[NURSE]

would sugest a few immediate losses

Create Defence medical services create 1 chain of medical command.
disband RAF police all service policing to come under RMP.
Agree rationalise alot of UOR kit however Items like Minimi, UGL, AGL should be standard issue.
Agree lines of EOD could be rationalised across all 3 services into tri-service units.
RLC take over all Mech transport across the military
REME take over all vehicle support across services
stop all military parachute training and withdraw jump pay from all except SF personel.
Merge MPS & MPGS
create 3 additional public duties coys 1 each from Irish and welsh guards, 1 from royal marines and 1 based round QCS releasing all other units from public duties tours and creating pools of troops that can be drawn on to reinforce units going on tours.
look at display teams and cull parachute display teams/motorcycle display merge red arrows and 100 sqn give red arrows real job

[Al R]

Leon,

Good to see a more original perspective. Not much made about the newish Levene Defence Policy Unit though - if I hear bloody 'salami slicing' mentioned once more, I'll chuck a paperclip in rage at the telly. But if we're thinking long term, how will the next SDR be conducted - more by the senior officers of tomorrow (the Lt Cols/Wing Commanders of today) than by centralised Civil Servants? Not much mention of the senior rank structure either.. any thoughts on more jointery - will we have a combined cadre of General rank Officers?

And I don't care what the kit is like - anything made by a company called 'General Atomics' has to be in with a shout.

[NURSE]

when they cut the armoured brigade its Sig sqn should replace 250,248 or 246 sig sqn, its engineer sqn should replace 69 or 70 engineer sqn and its RLC personel should start to replace one of the Gurkha squadrons

[thebarrel]

NURSE, quite frankly it is dim-witted views of people like you with no basis in fact that got us into this mess...


disband RAF police all service policing to come under RMP.
RLC take over all Mech transport across the military
REME take over all vehicle support across services
Good, lets just ask our guys to change suits and that will save a fortune. Obviously.

merge red arrows and 100 sqn give red arrows real jobAh yes, as defence diplomacy, promoting British industry (and thus creating and maintaining British jobs), invaluable RAF and British PR and capability demonstration are not 'proper' jobs. What do you want, them to perform CAS in formation?

Cuts made to non operational Airforce squadrons 32 sqn cut back to senior officer/royal use onlyLike which non-operational Sqns? Soon-to-be-accelerated-into-operational-role Typhoon I'm guessing? If you actually did know your facts, you'd know that 32 Sqn ONLY carry senior officers, and the Royals when they did fly had to pay, not to mention their operational role. Training Sqns, then?

Here's an idea, read a few books, visit a few Sqns, and then come back and post your amazing ideas.

the barrel.

[NURSE]

If Red arrows so important to British industry then get British industry to fund it.
32 don't just carry senior officers and royalty they carry politicians and civil servants as well see most of 32 parked on Ramp of Belfast city airport to bring the civil servants and politicans back to mainland for weekends.
There needs to be a look at who does what for whom in the armed forces why do the Navy, Army and Air Force need seperate mechanical transport and policing services, health is now more or less tri service just needs tidying up and formalised cutting chains of command down to size?
You could bring supply into that as well a comodity is a comidity!

[TorqueOfTheDevil]

32 don't just carry senior officers and royalty


thebarrel's right - they don't carry royalty any longer. As an aside, have they now dropped the 32 (TR) Sqn moniker to become plain old 32 Sqn?

[teeteringhead]

Leon

a little late but can I endorse your view in a general sense.

For the RAF (I cannot judge dark blue or brown) it seems at least the "least worst" solution, and could have been a whole lot worse.

1. We retain an independant Air Force beyond its centenary (at which celebration I would guess the Reds would perform their "Farewell Tour").

2. We move further into the RPAV business.

3. We bin lots of civvies (one third of total) and some uniforms (one eighth of total) which will improve the ratio.

4. HQ Air will lose 25% of its posts! :ok:

Of course I hope my job isn't lost :eek: but it's still all the legacy of the North British Cyclops (noticably absent from the House yesterday) who acted like a man earning £3K a month and spending £4k - making up the difference with his plastic. We must never forget that

It's about the third "Defence Review" I've sat through, each was predicted to be the end of life as we knew it ....... none of them were.

We'll manage - we always do ...... which is part of the problem, but most of the solution!

[Wrathmonk]

There needs to be a look at who does what for whom in the armed forces why do the Navy, Army and Air Force need seperate mechanical transport and policing services

Same could be said for the flying branch. How about everything that flies, whether from land or sea, comes under the AIR force ....;)

Any how ....

Just been watching the headlines for the rest of the CSR. At 8% over 4 years the MoD have got off reasonably lightly (IMHO). Granted not as good as Health and Education but the Police are looking at 4% reduction per year, the Ministry of Justice at 6% reduction per year and centralised funding to the councils 8% reduction per year. It could most definately been worse for the MoD (and, when the next Defense Review is carried out post-AFG (2015?), I think the Army may find themselves going through the same anguish the RN and RAF are currently doing so i.e they've chopped what????).:(

[Mr Bridger]

At 8% over 4 years

Whilst the RAF is set to lose 4,900 personnel over 4 years, someone has done a wonderful job in the way this has been reported. 4,900 is the number required to reduce the RAF to a figure of 33,500 by 2015. The current strength of the RAF is around 42,500, meaning that we are to lose 4,900 personel whilst also dis-establishing 4,100 vacant posts (the burden of which is shared by all). This equates to a reduction of over 20% of the RAF establishment.

I state this not because I have strong opinions about SDSR, but because my knowledge of these figures differs from those in the media. Assuming this to be the case across all the services, is it safe to assume that todays detail of non-military cuts has the same spin.

Isn't it time for a little honesty. The voting public should know the truth about the capabilities of the military, education, medical, policing services that they pay for, without it being wrapped up in statistics.

[NURSE]

would say the RAF is becoming the sole flying service as FAA is strangled and next target for their Airships will be AAC.
No harrier & transfare of Merlin to navy appears to have been scrapped and no mention of CHF in any of the documents

[thebarrel]

32 don't just carry senior officers and royalty they carry politicians and civil servants as well see most of 32 parked on Ramp of Belfast city airport to bring the civil servants and politicans back to mainland for weekends.

If you want people to take your views seriously then don't make false statements; 32 haven't flown any politicians or civil servants for nigh on 5 years now, other than defence related (SoSfD, MfD). You obviously haven't been to Belfast City for 5 years either....

Anyway, sorry for the thread creep. It's exactly this kind of assumption/rumour/false allegation that has caused yesterday's angst. Sigh.

[Failed_Scopie]

All, apologies for the delay in replying - I've been helping Mrs F_S search for a new job... Anyway, NURSE with all due respect to you Squire, I am well aware of what Kings Tp RHA's operational role is. It seems an awfully expensive way of doing the job undertaken by the HAC Signal Sqn and Gun Tp (as was) and which any half-decent TA Bty could do. ;) As regards keeping the RA in the public eye, what a load of old cobblers. My current Corps (for the last 11 years), the Royal Corps of Signals, has the White Helmets, whose supposed job is to keep the R Signals in the public eye. Like most most OCs and COs in the Corps (not to mention RSMs and SSMs, etc.), I would gladly see the back of them if it saved a few quid.:D
This sort of Midsommer Murders County Fayre nonsense has to stop.:*

[Occasional Aviator]

If Red arrows so important to British industry then get British industry to fund it.
Actually, it does.

[LateArmLive]

Ditching GR9 - that only went on ops twice using VSTOL in Sierra Leone and Falklands, the rest of the time using CTOL.

So how come it was the only fast jet in the world capable of operating (with a payload) from the 3000' strip of rubble that KAF called a "runway" in the early days?

Other than that, some good points.