Quote:
On the withdrawal of Nimrod, I do not take these decisions without consulting the Chief of the Air Staff and the First Sea Lord. Other platforms are capable of providing the maritime patrol responsibilities. They have done so before-they are Merlin and Hercules, and we can meet our obligations with those other platforms.
Am I missing something here?? Can anyone enlighten me as to when the last time a Herc got contact on anything submerged? 'cos nobody is
seriously suggesting that the Merlin can cover the sort of area a Nimrod can/did are they........are they?? Merlin and Herc are tremendous assets when tasked correctly - this is hardly playing to their strengths.
Thought that ISK may take a hit at the upcoming SDR, but never saw this coming - typical short-sightedness. Do we learn nothing from history - I fear we will never regain our long-range ASW capability (MRA4 - standby for the SDR....), and though there aren't many 'feathers' in Afghanistan, I reckon any of us could name hotspots where, given time, we may rue this decision. And what's a hotspot not...........