Juliet,
With respect.....
"I'm guessing the only reason these questions are even asked on here is that originally the question was posed to the MoD who responded with "bugger off, there is no need for you to know right now."
Is way off base. The reason that questions are asked here is because asking the MoD takes weeks to get an answer - not through rigorous examination of the security case, but because the
PR machine is institutionally inefficient, and close to broken.
This is innocent questioning, and no leading questions have been asked. There are clear, stated limits on what is being asked "Whose and where" and clear indications that details of equipment/operational basing/tactics and parametrics should
not be asked about. Certainly no one is demanding to have all their questions answered.
In a democracy (look it up) taxpayers have a right to know what their money is being spent on, but perhaps not exactly how those assets are used.
There is a line to be drawn, but this is not Stalin's Russia, and a blanket ban on any and all information won't fly.
XV277,
Yes, the MOD has released and confirmed details of the AAC unit that uses the Defender.
See:
http://www2.army.mod.uk/linkedfiles/..._section_1.pdf
for example.
This says that:
"Joint Special Forces Aviation Wing (JSFAW)
The JSFAW was formed on 2 Apr 01, bringing together 657 Squadron Army Air Corps (AAC) and 7 Squadron RAF into a single unit to provide Lynx and Chinook in support of United Kingdom Special Forces. The Wing is under peacetime command of the Station Commander of RAF Odiham, but the Single-Services retain Full Command of their respective personnel. In 2006, the wing incorporated 651 Squadron Army Air Corps and its Defender aircraft."
Elsewhere, it has officially been revealed that:
"5 Regiment Army Air Corps will continue to operate from Aldergrove. 665 Squadron operate Gazelle helicopters that provide a communications facility and have a surveillance role. They may provide assistance to the PSNI in accordance with the ‘Patten Provisions’. 651 Squadron operate Brittan Norman Islander and Defender 4000 fixed wing aircraft, again in the surveillance role. The PSNI will continue to operate a Eurocopter EC-135 helicopter and a Brittain Norman Islander fixed wing aircraft in the surveillance roles."
I've seen official references to where 651 is operationally deployed, but see no purpose in repeating that here, or linking to it.
And it was officially revealed that 651
"officially moved to RAF Aldergrove on 4 August 2008 from RAF Odiham."
The statement that
"651 Squadron operate Brittan Norman Islander and Defender 4000 fixed wing aircraft" would seem to infer that No.1 Flight and 651 had merged. I don't know whether that's the case, but rather suspect not.