Media rumours are that Thailand is considering purchasing some of the Sea Harriers when we have retired them. Funny, thought Thailand and the surrounding area was hot. If the SHAR cannot operate in hot climates for us then why will it for the Thais?
Same goes for the Indians - it does tend to be a bit warm in the Indian Ocean. Then we have deployed it ourselves to hot places, including the Adriatic, the 2001 war games in Oman, and the Gulf..
http://www.royal-navy.mod.uk/static/pages/3102.html
http://www.royal-navy.mod.uk/static/pages/5025.html
Are the MOD being "economical with the truth"?
They say its an old airframe. Again this seems like a bit of a distortion of the truth, some of them were built in the mid/late '80s, some of the FA2s were new builds in the mid/late 1990s. See
http://www.targetlock.org.uk/seaharrier/index.html and click on "Production".
They say its not needed, yet the training for air defence of the fleet goes on. All the time there are exercise involving (as part of Flag Officer Sea Training organisation) the conduct of an air war to defend against aircraft carrying anti ship missiles. Not to mention the
Rat Trap exercises to practice defence against a mass air attack.
If the Government thinks that we do not need air defence then we does this still happen? And what magically changes in 2006?
Am I being cynical in saying that they know it is a huge risk, and they are keen to retain that capablity until after the next general election, so a sudden disaster (ships lost, crises UK cannot respond to) will not effect the election results?
The Commons Defence Select Commitee warned warned back in 1999 that there would be a capability gap in the Royal Navy's anti air warfare capability in the latter half of this decade, between the phasing out of the Type 42 destroyer and the introduction of the Type 45 (at the same time assuming it works and isn't delayed). See
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/514550.stm
Does this not increase the need for organic air defence? What about the proliferation of air launched anti ship missiles (including supersonic ones)?
This might also be of interest:
http://www.parliament.the-stationery...38we/13828.htm
The present Government is nothing if not completely inconsistant. What on earth is going on?