In defence of the Jaguar.
Plenty of flying hours and fatigue left, without needing major (costly) mods to the back end.
Cheapest of all RAF FJs to operate, per flying hour. (About 4 x cheaper than GR7, 2 x cheaper than GR1/4).
Best TIALD solution of any RAF FJ. 1553B already goes to all six pylons. May not carry many bombs, but may well put more on target, and that's the name of the game!
Deployable, rugged, and reliable.
The aircrew are well-motivated and probably have higher morale than anyone else. Great idea! Do something to really **** 'em off.
The Jaguar is the only example so far of Smart Procurement in action. Binning it would send exactly the wrong signal to those in politics and industry who are at the root of the current problems.
So it can't go on a boat. So what? When was the last time there wasn't an available airfield? What happens when the opposition have a submarine or any form of anti-ship capability.
Jags en route to Maple Flag were held at Lajes (Azores) ready to forward deploy to Dakar (Senegal) for ops over Sierra Leone as the crisis developed. The decision to send a carrier laden with Harriers was political - justifying the existence of the carrier despite costing far more money and resulting in the deployment of a less suitable aircraft for that particular operation, where strafe would have been the weapon of choice. (1,000 lb too big, Paveway too pricey, CBU too indiscriminate). Not sending the Jags in, incidentally, was just as political, as there are those who are embarrassed that this knackered old thing is, so often, the best choice available. Not least BWoS!
So whatever the answer may be, it ain't disbanding the Jag force. It might well be to reduce the number of GR1/GR4 squadrons in order to spread the FH over a larger pool of aircraft, so that they can meet their OSD without lots of expensive structural work, and that might apply to F3 and GR7 too.
But why not just fill the holes. Initially with lots of recent retirees as reservists (damn the cost) and really start training people and treating them properly. It really doesn't have to be that difficult.
PS: Not a Jag Mate. Not married to a Jag Mate. Never been a Jag Mate. Don't even know where Norfolk is, mate!
[This message has been edited by Jackonicko (edited 03 July 2000).]