Lowe Flieger is right and that was the point I was making earlier. If the UK seriously invested, or had a plan to seriously invest, in the sort of hardware, training and support necessary to form a CAG of such proportions to do it true justice (a la US CVN) we wouldn't be having this debate.
Bismarck,
As for RAF doing exchange tours with the USMC, if they cannot stand being on board for anything other than the minimum amount of time how will an exchange officer cope with a 9-12 month sea deployment?...reason there are no RAF F-18 exchange officers.
The RAF have had USMC exchanges since the 1970s and continued to do so until very recently - many embarked for the sort of duration you quote.
The RAFF need to smell the salt water and get real. Just like the mess they created with Joint Force Harrier
It's a bit rich putting the blame for the alleged JFH 'mess' on the light blue. Neither party liked being forced together and remember that it was the RAF that made room to keep FW FAA flying going when the SHAR went. Some like that, some didn't. TELIC and HERRICK were the reasons you didn't see many GR9 deployments for lengthy periods because, as has been proven over and over again, when you have HN support and use of their land bases it is preferable long-term logistically. Situational, I know...
Justanopinion (which you are welcome to)
Quote:
at the time of the demise of the GR9 there were more qualified and 'in-practice' RAF pilots than FAA ones.
Pathetic.
No matter how pathetic you think that is, a true statement is a true statement. It wasn't meant to enflame and I'm sorry if I did - I was merely talking to the great British public's perception that it is always the FAA who fly off carriers. There were 3 squadron-sized units at Cottesmore and only one of those was RN. Naturally there were more RAF than RN pilots. It was, still is, and will be a numbers game otherwise the unit is inefficient. Saying that USMC exchanges are irrelevant is slightly muddying; big navy experience is certainly better if you're going to be a big navy yourself however early on, the reality of CEPP for the UK will be more akin to the MEU because we don't have the gear in size or capability to be like big daddy warbucks USN. If we get our economy and grow our military might somewhat in the future then our QEC decks have the potential to operate at the scale of a Nimitz but let us not delude ourselves into thinking that's what it will be like for a while.
Courtney,
As I've said before, any F-35 'could' be a Tornado replacement. The radar, sensor capability and range of all three are a significant step-up and the growth of those capabilities are already being looked at I'm lead to believe.