[QUOTE=ORAC;10118488]As reported the airspace was jam packed with aircraft - including tankers, C4I, SEAD, EW and doubtless many CSAR/MV-22 etc. I am sure the Typhoons were on CAP, just not necessarily to protect the GR4s.
It would seem, maybe so. In fact, I doubt that the Typhoons were directly tied to the GR4's at all?
So, going back to my comment about the forthcoming mighty carriers (2). I wonder under what circumstances they could politically operate in combat Ops (at risk of loss) without the total support of ground based assets? Politically, it will not happen.
OAP