I thought that the switch from F35C to F35B was justified (in Parliament) on the grounds that we would get two operational carriers instead of one, would get the capability earlier, and would have less of an issue with respect to skills. But to my simple mind, doing so whilst still not having our own jets this decade falls short of having a coherent plan. We have a STOVL capable ship (and will throughout most of this decade), a STOVL future to prepare for, STOVL experienced pilots, and allies with STOVL aircraft. Is it just me that thinks a piece is missing from the jigsaw?
Originally Posted by goljo
As far as I am aware and I stand to be corrected, we are either having or going to have Royal navy fast jet pilots trained right from the get go over in the USA? Previously we have sent experienced pilots on detachment to the US Navy but now we might also be seeing pilot trainees learning their skill from US instructors and being taught the methods of the US?
From what I have heard, building a cadre of pilots for F35B (including ramping up numbers) is proving to be a bit of an issue for the RN. I recently heard a couple of interesting rumours from people in the know, but to avoid another circular argument (and to protect my anonymity) I will not repeat them. Neither mentioned Harrier
per se, but one was carrier related, and the other WAFU (maintaining skills/training a fixed wing cadre for the future/UK based stuff) related.
It would help of course there was a jet in RN hands (other than the two NFSF(FW) Hawks) for fixed wing pilots to fly when not stateside - and it would make sense (to me, at least) for it to be capable of flying from HM Ships
Illustrious and
Queen Elizabeth.
SDSR may have killed Harrier in UK hands, but the aircraft continues to by flown by other nations. The US Marine Corps are prepared to continue operating the AV8B until 2025 or beyond. If only we could lease a few, as I suggested
here....
Previously USMC Harriers (or those belonging to the Navies of Italy or Spain) have been embarked about
Illustrious or
Ark Royal to maintain the skills of carrier personnel. I understand RN deck crews have demonstrated they still have the skills - but will this still be the case in
x years time if they have no practice?
If I wanted to prepare to run a marathon, I would not start by cutting one of my legs off. But then again we are talking about politicians...
Finally, there is the capability gap issue. Everyone seems to agree that the world has changed a lot since SDSR, but our defence and security policy has not caught up. Not that having thrown away the tools for the job discourages our politicians from speaking loudly and writing cheques that others cannot cash - such as
this talk of increasing the UK military presence in the Gulf.