Originally Posted by
pr00ne
cessnapete,
The RAF Nimrod MR force managed perfectly well with no AAR capability up until 1982 when it had to go a little further south. How often does a MR aircraft need to refuel in mid air?
Yes, but we had around 35 MR2 airframes in 5 Squadrons compared with just the 9 airframes of the Poseidon. So if you want to keep a permanent watch on station during a heightened alert then you are quickly going to run out of aircraft if you cannot do AAR. Out of 9 airframes you will probably lose at least 3 to serviceability issues and scheduled maintenance.