SAR Bloke, the requirement for TCAS, or rather the desperate need for it came directly from the front line.
I also believe a UOR for IR strobes was denied.
This is not a whinge, this is a statement, a litany of issues, of how UKAF are being sent to war on a shoe string.
Our SOP 5 years ago was lights out at all times. Check out the topography of Afg, a SAM exploded close to my ac and we were at 17000! You would be mad to light up your ac like a christmas tree. I am trying to get some actual figures on the amount of RAs in theatre. It is not pretty. The situation regarding TCAS has been described to me as "absolutely disgusting." With reference to wearing of NVGs, at the time of my near mid-air I had taken off my gogs because wearing them for up to 7 hours a night was painful. I thought we were fairly safe up at height, I was wrong. Thankfully, the AE strapped his gogs on, this was strictly not allowed, but thank God he did.
Because of a lack of TCAS, Nimrod crews are making do with ad hoc procedures, NVG look outs, use of aircraft radar etc.
It needs fixing quick. It has been described to me as the most pressing safety problem, even allowing for the fuel leak issues.
Last edited by nigegilb; 27th November 2007 at 17:02.