just another jocky
You have stated
“try separating the facts from the lies.....too monumental a task. And so how does anyone know which bits are worth heeding and which ignoring? His love of the Harrier is easy to see, but he cares not a jot for those who love the Tornado which has had a longer operational service than the Harrier (ie ON ops) and has been incredibly successful, increasing the theatre capability when it took over from the Harrier back in 09.”
and then
“He does, but try sifting those out from the bitter inaccuracies and downright lies.”
Are you sure that your own statements are also actually correct? Whilst the UK may have lost the use of its Harriers, other nations have of course continued to use theirs in Libya (Italian) and Afghanistan (US).
If the UK still had Sea Harriers then they would have also no doubt been used in Libya along with the Italian Harriers. Here is an interesting link about that -
A tale of two Harriers: How Italy held on to carrier strike - Defence Management
I also believe that the US are now looking to extend the use of their Harriers until 2030. Therefore the Harrier may well end up having a longer operational service use than the Tornado.
Fg Off Bloggs
Tornados are no doubt good at doing what they do but the Navy need to rely on a capability that is able to focus on their maritime defence needs and those that require their support a long way from any friendly land base that ‘may’ let the RAF use it. When at sea it is best to have dedicated Navy air defence aircraft already with you. If it was you out there on RN or merchant ships, surely even you would want Sea Harrier air defence/ reconnaissance/ strike capability (or any other more modern Navy fixed wing aircraft) support with you. That is much more preferable than having to hope that the RAF may be able to support you when you actually need them.
Not even the best aircraft in the world is any good if it is unable to support you when you may urgently need it! Those that understand and depend on maritime operations should therefore be responsible for it. If they are trained to carry out such demanding operations anywhere in the world from both sea and land, then that force can be used wherever it is needed, including from the UK when required.