Originally Posted by
andrewn
The smart money here is obviously on a RW fleet cull. Merlin 4 and Puma 2 seem most at risk, with Chinook (and to a lesser extent) Wildcat picking up the slack. Binning Puma 2 helps free up a nice load of real estate within commuting distance of the capital, which wont be going unnoticed by the lunatics running the asylum.
Obviously, in this case, everything is tied to the proposed Army cuts. If they do happen at that scale then the argument for culling RW becomes so much easier...
Hmmm, I’m a bit out of the loop these days, but I doubt it’s that simple. Get rid of all your medium SH, with Bulwark and Albion also at risk? Then you really do have to start asking what about the Marines. You really don’t want to have to use an aircraft carrier just to land a few hundred light infantry. Be good for top cover for the landings mind, but that’s about it. Plus, have you actually seen up close the size of a Chinook? Great for lugging heavy kit around and large scale troop infils, but occasionally you need a smaller cab able to get in and out of smaller spaces and with a slightly lower acoustic signature. Unfortunately that just isn’t Wildcat.
Plus, with all the other bits at Benson you’d have to find a home for, I wouldn’t be too sure selling Benson is the easiest answer. And the humanitarian use for RW means they will always be around, even if we’re not doing war fighting.