WEBF thinks that some AH64 flying off a boat are the primary assets doing all the damage.........if only he knew instead of using copy and paste.
Are you being fare with that comment? My thoughts are in line with the excellent words of FodPlod
sea-based Apaches and Harriers and land-based Tornados all have distinct but complementary merits which are not mutually exclusive,
At the moment would it be correct to suggest the distance from the Italian air base to locations in theatre would be approximately 600 miles give or take? This will relate to well over 1200 miles of flying just to get to and back from a target.
If and it is a big if but if we still had the harrier force then we are now talking distances of less than 60 miles. I feel that all WEBF and others are trying to suggest is that our lords and masters have made a huge mistake and are now refusing to back down purely on a point of principal.
I accept the harriers are old but I do NOT accept they were past their sell by date. The Illustrious is back in commission and sailing the high seas devoid of aircraft which to me is sheer lunacy especially as we are now sending out four more tornado aircraft to compliment the numbers in Italy.
The harrier is gone, the harrier debate is closed but it still does not make it right or correct. If we had eight harriers that could fly multiple missions per day from a much closer location (60 in stead of 600 miles) then surely that would be a much better option than what is now taking place ie increasing the tornado strength from an alleged twelve in number to a possible sixteen.
My own thoughts are the withdrawal of the harrier force was a decision that has come home to roost and having just one carrier on station would surely have needed fewer tornado aircraft to carry out their much appreciated role.
There should NOT be a need for saying we cannot have both types of aircraft, if we cannot carry out the role demanded then we should not be put into these positions.
Can we afford to project power in the way we once did?
If not then we should not be getting involved and definitely not carrying out a pot mess, mish mash of an operation which is being run on a shoe string budget.
The petty debates regarding Fleet Air Arm or RAF is really daft and who cares who flies aircraft that are supporting our ground troops, if they are Tornado then so be it, but let us give them the support they deserve.