Surley patching the RAF`s Pumas and the Fleet Air Arms Seaking 4 is just going to create a bottle kneck further down the line as will they not need replacing round about the same time as the Bulk of the RAF`s Chinook Fleet. This is probally thread creep but to me we seem to have two problems to contend with an immediate shortage of capabiltiy, and a need to replace those types with new to maintain and maximise future roatry wing capability in the future. Rather than sending you guys to war in the equivalent of a Ford Cortina (Sorry for you youngsters who might only have vague recollections of your Dads pride and joy-If I recal the Seaking Mk 4 entered service the same time as Fords produced their Mk 4 Cortinas - now how many Cortinas do you see on the road today). OK here`s an idea The Forward Active Fleet for the RAF Chinook Fleet acording to the DASA is 25 the total Chinook Fleet is 40 that leaves fifteen airframes in Reserve and if I recall the Merlin Forward Active Fleet is 15 again According to DASA which leaves Seven. So why can these not be brought into use to satisfy the immediate need and acquire new airframes as attrition replacements. Or is it a case that those aircraft from the reserve fleet have been canablised that much that they will not be flying in a month of Sundays? The UK already owns these aircraft, would not have to go shopping for new and they are of a type already deployed into Afghanistan and Iraq
Last edited by RumourMonger; 8th August 2007 at 23:26.
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