Originally Posted by
NURSE
Have to say I fundementaly disagree with the above analysis. Configuring an armed forces to fight COIN operations is a receipe for disaster.
While Thomas is not the light blue's favorite love child, and his dad was a gunner, I would suggest that CGS desig and TH are not wrong. In the same paper, when asked what should be cut for economic recovery, 51% said defence. So much for AFD tomorrow.
Preparing for a future war with a limited budget is wholly unaffordable.
The message to the Pentagon was clear: fight today's war, not one against some imaginary enemy of the future.
A counter argument to that was the UK in the 20s/30s where defence was neglected and a counter to that was in 1944-45. We fought to win the current war against Germany rather than ease up prepare for the Cold war that was to come.
While we managed to more or less catch up with successes like the Canberra and Hunter the US was able to field the B29/50 against the Lincoln. The F4 against the Sea Vixen and Javelin. The 707 against the Britannia and so on.
We should simply face up to realities. To say we need a Navy because we are an island nation and there is piracy in the Indian Ocean is a nonsense. As far as oil is concerned we are no more reliant on SLOC than any other European state. In this case we need a European Navy equipped with the right ships for SLOC protection and a CVS is not one of them.
As for Typhoon against Tucano:
Now yes the argument about Typhoon vs S tucano is interesting could a super Tucano carry suficient weapons/fuel to have a viable loiter time and capability? I didn't think so.
Tucano (cost £6 million) over the Eurofighter Typhoon (cost £65 million)
And the payload and endurance of one Typhoon compared with 10 Tucano? If One out of two Typhoons goes u/s you have lost 50% of your force. If one Tucano goes u/s you have lost 5%. OK, with 20 you may lose more than one but you would still have comfortably more than 50%.
Also, like the RN, you can only be in one place at one time with one aircraft, but with 10?
BTW, I had this argument with an Air Commodore 45 years ago when I was going for a PC
and I lost then.