Originally Posted by WE Branch Fanatic
Organic air defence - obviously. How can you argue having less aircraft and being able to to less things makes you more capable?
From
Telegraph letters:
Sir - Readers should not be fooled by misleading official spin indicating that the disbanding of the last Sea Harrier squadron represents progress (News, March 29). The Sea Harriers are not being replaced by new GR7 and GR9 Harriers but by upgraded ex-RAF aircraft, which were built before many of the Sea Harriers. What?
The last Sea Harrier FA2, designed for an operational life of at least another 10 to 15 years, was handed over to the Royal Navy only in 1999. The re-formed Naval Air Squadrons, 800 and 801, will no doubt continue to uphold the proud traditions of the Fleet Air Arm, but their ground-attack Harriers will have no radar and no long-range air-to-air missiles. Let us hope that between now and 2017 (when the planned JSF replacements may or may not become available), there is no new air threat to our potentially oil-rich South Atlantic territories.
In the Falklands War the Royal Navy had no airborne early warning radar aircraft and lost many ships as a result. Now it has no radar-equipped fighters.
What a shambles!
Richard Gardner, Editor, Aerospace International, Farnborough, Hants
Errr, wasn't the GR5 (later GR7, GR9) a complete new build aircraft (Harrier II) whereas the Sea Harrier FA2 was a rebuild of old FRS1 airframes?
Hasn't this obviously partisan editor got it the wrong way round?