PPRuNe Forums - View Single Post - Sea Jet
Thread: Sea Jet
View Single Post
Old 26th Aug 2003, 01:06
  #84 (permalink)  
I. M. Esperto
 
Join Date: May 2001
Location: New Jersey Shore
Age: 92
Posts: 601
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
I found this:

"The Future

On the 28th February 2002, the Armed Forces Minster Adam Ingram announced that the Joint Harrier Force will become an all ground attack harrier force upgrading the Royal Air Force GR7s to GR9s and retiring the Royal Navy FA2s. This is to ‘ensure a credible expeditionary offensive capability is maintained until the aircraft leaves service. Supporting this decision the Ministry of Defence said:


"These days we don't fight the kind of wars where our ships need defending from enemy warplanes far out at sea. Aircraft Carriers are now mostly supporting shore operations by flying strike missions and it makes far better sense to spend our money on Harriers which can do that best. If necessary, we can rely on coalition forces to provide the outer air defence for surface ships."


An added level to the layered air defence will be provided by the new Type 45 Destroyer equipped with the sophisticated and lethal Principal Anti Air Missile System (PAAMS) which is capable of controlling several missiles in the air at any one time, each one of which could engage individual targets, preventing attackers from swamping the fleet's air defences. "

I think their service in the Malvinas campaign was worth their cost. One can never tell.

That is an excellent Destroyer, BTW. I'm an old Tin Can Sailor, and it beats the old DE's I served as a Midshipman on. Talk about crude and cramped. Oy.
I. M. Esperto is offline