BillHicksRules,
Sorry BHR, but the Fleet Air Arm is just a nickname, it does NOT exist. It started out as the Royal Naval Air Service, it was then merged with the RFC to form the RAF, who deigned to call the tiny rump of embarked airpower they retained the “Fleet Air Arm of the Royal Air Force.” This is where the nickname originates.
Show me an “Officer Commanding FAA” or a “Senior Flag Officer FAA”, or indeed ANY RN command slot with the letters FAA in it. What is the title of the professional head of this mythical Fleet Air Arm? Isn’t it something like Commodore Maritime Aviation? There isn’t even a Naval Air Command anymore for a Flag Officer Naval Air Command to lord it over.
Your fixed wing airpower is an integral part of No.1 Group, which is an integral part of ROYAL AIR FORCE Strike Command, stationed at ROYAL AIR FORCE Cottesmore, flying ex-RAF aircraft in Squadrons containing RAF air and ground crew, it’s called Joint Force Harrier.
4 of your helicopter squadrons are part of the JOINT Helicopter Command, which is an integral part of the British Army Land Command, with a tri-service HQ stationed at an Army barracks in Wiltshire.
The training organisation is joint and about to become the largely civilian operated MFTS, the training of technicians is about to become joint at either RAF St.Athan or RAF Cosford,
You have two airfields, one of which is about to be invaded by a large part of either the RAF SH force or the AAC to fill the vacuum created by the departure of the Sea Harrier units.
So, IF there is such a mythical thing as the FAA, it must consist of a couple of Merlin squadrons with 4 whirly things each, a small deployable Merlin outfit, the Lynx Squadron, and a Sqn flying some inflatable bags, some Fleet Air Arm!
Navaleye,
Of those 200+ “flying machines” the RN controls only those elements in the last para above. ALL of the rest are under either RAF or Army command.
Nurse,
You are living in the past, just where is the airborne threat to the Royal Navy today or in the foreseeable future? Look at the sort of campaigns we are fighting today, not one of them sees the need for a self defending aircraft carrier. Not one of them sees any kind of airborne threat whatsoever. What ALL of them need is the ability to mount precision attacks in support of land forces, hence the GR9/9A.
brickhistory,
The F-35 is for “days ahead” but in the foreseeable future there is NO conceivable scenario where we would be faced with a need for the SHAR, not one.