A new CAS platform?
There's plainly overstretch in the FJ force, and its clear that there's a shortfall in Close Air Support capabilities.
The Harriers are plainly over-stretched. With aircraft going through upgrade, sending one extra jet caused Cottesmore's pips to squeak.
They have no gun.
The Jaguars are on the way out - and with no capacity at St Athan and with no support contracts, cannot be kept in service.
They have inadequate payload/range and poor hot & high characteristics.
The GR4's availability is barely sufficient to meet existing commitments.
On another thread Flt Lt Spry said:
"Air-to-ground gunnery? Why not use the mighty F3?
I'm sure those guys would appreciate some Op experience?!"
Ho ho, I thought. Nice one! But apparently he wasn't joking.
I wonder whether any of our resident F3 blokes are going to put aside their customary modesty and step up and tell us how brilliant Treble One already are at strafe, having been practising it at Tain during Exercise Flying Rhino, controlled by FACs ...... and with Neptune Warrior coming up?
I wonder whether any of the 'host of ongoing UORs' are aimed at providing F3 with Recce Lite and PW/EPW?
I wonder whether we'll go to the expense of developing a really impressive capability (as we did with F3 SEAD) only for some demarcation obsessed senior officer to veto its operational use?
Or has someone seen sense, and realised that retaining two squadrons of low-houred F3s would spread GR4 hours better, giving the GR4 a sporting chance of getting to its extended OSD?