Originally Posted by
andrewn
It's a good sentiment, and if the system worked that way then I may be tempted to agree with you, but sadly I don't think it does.
[snip]
Simplistically, what I'm saying, is that I doubt any money saved from disbanding or not procuring new jets for the REDS would find its way to anything remotely useful.
I agree that the system does not work that way. There is no way of ensuring that any money saved from one department can be utilised by another but the Reds do cost money to operate and that money does come from the overall defence budget.
I think that an argument could be made for keeping the Reds going for as long as they can keep the T1's going but I don't think there can be any justification for purchasing new aircraft just for the display team.
Perhaps a couple of Typhoon squadrons could have a handful of qualified display pilots and maybe 4 or 5 aircraft with special tail art (which could be quickly covered up in theatre) to cover flying display duties. I think that in these difficult financial times, a dedicated display team with new aircraft is a luxury we can't afford.