RAF Pumas to Afghanistan

[Mil-26Man]

An interesting development for the RAF's Puma force...


http://www.janes.com/article/41268/uk-mulls-puma-helo-deployment-to-afghanistan

[Cows getting bigger]

Not the first time.

[Fox3WheresMyBanana]

With the usual FO/MoD delays, I should think the 'stan will be a failed state by then anyway, and the deployment moot.
Shouldn't be at all surprised if some were banking on that. Save a lot of cost/paperwork.

[melmothtw]

Not the first time


To Afghanistan it is.

[Cows getting bigger]

Well, I guess I must have had a four month hallucination in 2002.

[melmothtw]

Well, judging by your response you were there so will accept your word on the matter. Have to say though that I can't find any google reference to them ever having been there, do you care to elaborate on the nature of your deployment? Were the Pumas just there for 4 months, or was that just yourself?

[wg13_dummy]

Suppose its a good way of justifying the Puma 2's existence.

God forbid its a PR stunt from the RAF.......

[Sand4Gold]

Well, I guess I must have had a four month hallucination in 2002.

Ah, but were you there, operating, during the summer months? :p

[Melchett01]

Well, I guess we have to justify the upgrade when in 2015 the Army won't need the same level of RW support in country but there's also a spending cut, sorry, defence review looming

[Odigron]

Why won't they need the same level of RW support?

[Could be the last?]

Melmoth - Wrong, you will find Cows is correct!

[melmothtw]

Read my response Cbtl. I've already accepted Cows is correct. You seem to know a bit about it also, so perhaps you could fill in the details?

[nowherespecial]

C'mon people. I think we're all adult enough here to know what it is likely Cows was doing there after the 'invasion' and before Telic 1 kicked off.

That there is little about in the internet should tell you all you need to know and thus Cows is unlikely to share his experience.

[melmothtw]

Ha, fair point nowherespecial. Ok then, question rescinded.

[Melchett01]

Why won't they need the same level of RW support?

Quite simple Odigron - they won't be there in 2015. Do you really think we are going to leave X numbers of heavy lift and AH just to support a few individuals working at the Afghan Sandhurst?

[Stitchbitch]

You ain't seen me...Right?

:E

[Door Slider]

when in 2015 the Army won't need the same level of RW support

Given the fact that the NAO has been saying for years that RW lift has been approximately 33% under equiped, then perhaps the reduction of the Army may mean that RW lift will be correctly balanced.

Bearing in mind that there will be less Puma 2 than there were 1s. There will be fewer Wildcat than were were Lynx and the Sea King will also shortly retire.

Post Afghnistan JHC may be able to better support the many many tasks that have fallen by the wayside over the past 5-10 years due to too few assests.

[Melchett01]

Door Slider,

Agreed. However, I suspect my original post was unclear on my part, and I should have explicitly said support in country rather than in general and as such have amended my original post to reflect that.

I do wonder though, what exactly the Army will do with RW other than the odd large scale exercise and expensive taxi service in the post-HERRICK era, if as we are led to believe, the public appetite for boots on the ground no longer exists and the Army are going into a period of recuperation and regeneration.

Whilst on the one had, as you correctly suggest, a lower level of commitment will permit a sense of balance to be restored on the troops / task front, I also fear it will leave RW across the Services vulnerable to cuts. From my end of the trench, it does sadly appear that what Lord Dannett referred to as running hot those few years ago is now both the norm and the expectation from VSOs and politicians and any 'slacking off' - like giving people weekends and leave to spend with family - will leave those elements vulnerable for the chop. These days people are assets only in so much as they are a tool to be sweated until broken rather than a treasured capability than should be looked after.

[Door Slider]

Melchett,

I share your fears and sadly I agree that RW maybe vulnerable to 'Salami Slicing' in the next few years, especially the Ch Fce.

Time will tell.

[Odigron]

Melchett, thanks for clarifying. There are plenty of opportunities to use the slightly bigger RW lift capability we now have. Could go back down to the FI with Chinook to name but one or BATUS support as another; the key driver will be AFT.

[ralphmalph]

Good news!

Nice to see the work spread around the JHC fully. Its about time others get a break from the deployments.

Cows.....I suppose a 4 month Det in 2002 is sufficiently in the past and was significantly different from the Ops that have been conducted for the past 8 years by other types.....

Nice to see the airframe getting out and about and earning its keep!

[muppetofthenorth]

So if we're in agreement that they have had a turn out there, is it acceptable to ask why it's taken so long for them to return? Was it simply a break before the upgrade, or something else?

[Door Slider]

Muppet,

At that time the Puma Fce was fairly small in comparison with the Chinook, Lynx and Sea King fleets.

Pumas were based in Bosnia from 2002-2004 (ish) and heavily committed in Iraq from 2003-2009 as well as maintain their presence in Northern Ireland.

So prior to the wind down for the Life Extension Programme they were already pretty busy.

[muppetofthenorth]

DS,

Fair does, had forgotten about the Bosnia ex. Was idle curiousity rather than a dig, apologies if anyone read it like that.

[melmothtw]

So it does appear to be happening...

UK to deploy upgraded Puma helos to Afghanistan - IHS Jane's 360 (http://www.janes.com/article/46843/uk-to-deploy-upgraded-puma-helos-to-afghanistan)