PPRuNe Forums - View Single Post - Time for a UK SEAD/DEAD Capability?
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Old 29th Dec 2019, 17:10
  #49 (permalink)  
Lima Juliet
 
Join Date: May 2000
Location: UK
Posts: 4,333
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Originally Posted by pr00ne
Lima Juliet,

Because it is a silly comparison. Australia does not have two SSBN nor three and a half SSN, nor does it have one 65,0000 ton aircraft carrier or 38 Chinooks or 25 Apaches.

The RAF has never operated dedicated SEAD/DEAD/EA aircraft, and even during the Cold War neither did most of NATO, it was just a niche capability provided in small numbers by the US and the Germans. And that niche capability never existed in numbers to enable it to be everywhere at once, so it was never seen as a must have by anybody.

Asturia56,

A national capability in certain defence manufacturing is seen by the UK as an essential national asset and capability, if you buy everything from overseas then you risk your foreign policy inevitably becoming dependent upon those you buy from, not very independent and not a very good example of "taking back control". You would also ruin the second largest defence and aerospace industry in the world with all the implications for employment, GDP and tax take.
Proone

Last time I looked they had 22x Eurocopter Tiger AHs, 10x Chinook, 35x Blackhawk and 40x MRH90 helicopters. I’d say that was pretty good. Also, their 2x 27T helicopter carriers that could take F35B if they put their mind to it.

As for niche capabilities for SEAD/DEAD/EA then we had EF-3 too. Torpy didn’t like it as he was frightened it would reduce the numbers of his beloved GR1/GR4 and so he poo-poo’d it for TELIC. It was way more capable than GR4 with ALARM and if we had used the EF-3 with a different Mode 4 IFF and JTIDS then the Patriot accident with the GR4 might never have happened.
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