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Old 15th Aug 2021, 20:01
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ORAC
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Not sure I see the logic.

The lease then purchase of the C-17s was very much a consequence of getting involved in Iraq and Afghanistan and a need to move to lots of troops and materiel. The pull from both, and the demise of BAOR and RAFG very much puts the role and size of RAF AT in question. The A-400, Voyager and C-17 fleets seem more than adequate to fulfil the need in numbers - the only remaining question being what, if anything, is needed for SF support.

The debacle currently underway in Kabul is a short term problem and won’t affect long term plans. It’s a matter of how do you put airframes, movers and aircrew in place at short notice. I would imagine a lot of negotiations are ongoing to establish airheads in places such as Kuwait and Qatar to enable quick rotation ferry flights transferring pax to connecting civil airlines.
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