A few attacks on 32 Sqn on this thread. I think there's some ignorance about what it does and how it is funded. I understood the Royals pay for their usage themselves. Also that the annual running costs are very small and contribute enormously to efficiency - I personally would prefer the important decision makers to be able to whizz round efficiently to several appointments rather than stuck in traffic and ineffective.
The fixed wing part of 32 Sqn was almost exclusively operating in theatre last time I asked, though that was not recently. I also heard that the rotary element (3 Agusta 109s?) had been chopped anyway.
Anyone shed any more light?
The fixed wing element of 32(The Royal) Sqn have been continuously deployed since 2001. There are 2 aircraft permanently in the Gulf, operating in both theatres.The service they provide obviously saves a valuable Herc or C17 from doing that job, as the tasking can be anywhere. The Sqn haven't flown Ministerial tasking or Civil Servants for a number of years now; the Royals when they fly pay the MOD just as if they were going to NetJets or something and that is only a surplus capability.
I'm sure it was admin-ers shouting for them to be cut...I do like the JPA controller's view of cost saving...why don't we just bin all the aircraft and pilots?
For actual cost saving, and please correct me if I'm wrong, surely the University Air Sqn is the place to start? UAS cadets get paid to attend, there are Grobs, QFIs and Serco personnel stewn across the UK, not to mention valuable property (has anyone seen the CUAS building?). A tri-service ops-focused OTC is what is required; the UAS system to me is a throwback to the flying club days.
Can we not part-civilianise C4i? I'm yet to actually get hold of a real person, just the infernal woman answerphone of the dreaded SPOC.
Finally, perhaps we should do what the Danish have and allow personnel to fly into theatre on non-DASS equipped aircraft. Controversial, but would allow us to charter direct to Afghan and scrap Tristar now, saving a monumentous amount of money.
The barrel for chancellor! Hurrah!
