So come the moment of crisis:
How many jets?
How many dispersal locations?
Assessment of likely size of Russian first wave strike?
I had to write a paper on the V-Force whilst at Staff College, turned up some interesting research that suggested even dispersed 80% of the V-Force could be destroyed in a Soviet first strike.
So my question to CAS is what’s changed since then to make that possibility any less likely? Simple to use robust aircraft might be able to go from motorways; I can’t see an F35 managing it given the technical requirements just to start the dammed engine. And it sure as hell won’t be operating out of hide sites. And I don’t see Typhoon being much better. So that narrows it down to fixed sites. Oh erm, we’ve sold our airfields? Hmmm right then, civilian airfields it is ala Battle of Britain. Let’s hope they hide the signatures.
Sounds like a good idea but rather impractical given the corner we’ve painted ourselves into. It also works on the assumption that the aircraft and airfields are likely to be the main targets. With so few pilots these days, it wouldn’t take much effort to thin those numbers down even further before they even got anywhere close to a jet.
Last edited by Melchett01; 25th Jul 2021 at 22:38.