Independent RAF
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What is the logic of the Navy taking over the RAF? They (the Navy) only have two airfields and neither of those is likely to still be above sea level by day 2 of any future peer-to-peer punch up.
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: Great yarmouth, Norfolk UK
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If the OP was fishing, 'twould see he's got a nibble or three.....
Where is the reasoned argument to either agree with or refute his questions?
Don't ask me - I'm just a civilian who's taxes pay for it.
Where is the reasoned argument to either agree with or refute his questions?
Don't ask me - I'm just a civilian who's taxes pay for it.
The Royal Navy, with its new carriers and aircraft could easily take on the RAF role on land. The Fleet Air Arm had a number of land bases in the past. As for transport aircraft, the work is done chiefly for the British Army so the army could take that part over. Training could be done at an MOD unit. Central Flying School would remain, as part of the MOD.
Any thoughts/opinions?
Any thoughts/opinions?
MM
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Lemonia. Best Greek in the world
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Why does the Navy have so many Admirals, Vice Admirals, Deputy Vice admirals and so on?
One would be more than enough.
As to the RAF and its Title Inflation, it is even worse!
One would be more than enough.
As to the RAF and its Title Inflation, it is even worse!
bobward
When an OP appears on a forum and offers up a blatantly inflammatory question with no posting history it certainly appears as a fishing trip.
You’ll note he/she hasn’t reappeared since asking the question.
If it is a lazy attempt to get us to do their homework for them then it needs more effort.
If it is designed to make us Air Force types get all indignant and wound up he/she really will have to try harder.
Until some serious meat is put on the bones of why they came here to ask the question they should not expect any serious answers.
BV
You’ll note he/she hasn’t reappeared since asking the question.
If it is a lazy attempt to get us to do their homework for them then it needs more effort.
If it is designed to make us Air Force types get all indignant and wound up he/she really will have to try harder.
Until some serious meat is put on the bones of why they came here to ask the question they should not expect any serious answers.
BV
Below the Glidepath - not correcting
Just to play the game of "I didn't realize I had been trolled" for a few moments, and as an excuse to use some terrible business vernacular, you would probably want to examine the "value streams" that each service currently delivers. A quick examination would show that specialist teams with specialist equipment are probably better at providing specialist capabilities. Whenever you start homogenizing and emulsifying, skill levels and capability get eroded and reduced to the lowest common denominator. That's why it saves money, we provide everything "adequately" instead of anything "exceptionally". If you think defending sovereignty and sovereign interests should be done by the lowest bidder, losing the RAF makes perfect sense. If you think there's a little more to it than allowing millionaires to pay less tax, then maybe it's not such a good idea.
When an OP appears on a forum and offers up a blatantly inflammatory question with no posting history it certainly appears as a fishing trip.
You’ll note he/she hasn’t reappeared since asking the question.
If it is a lazy attempt to get us to do their homework for them then it needs more effort.
If it is designed to make us Air Force types get all indignant and wound up he/she really will have to try harder.
Until some serious meat is put on the bones of why they came here to ask the question they should not expect any serious answers.
BV
You’ll note he/she hasn’t reappeared since asking the question.
If it is a lazy attempt to get us to do their homework for them then it needs more effort.
If it is designed to make us Air Force types get all indignant and wound up he/she really will have to try harder.
Until some serious meat is put on the bones of why they came here to ask the question they should not expect any serious answers.
BV
Made oi larf though.
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Umm no, that was down to a poorly negotiated maintenance contract, that gave all to Bae, who then charged RAF for work when they broke 3 harriers while in their care.
Ttfn
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an independent raf is becoming hard to justify. The royal navy, with its new carriers and aircraft could easily take on the raf role on land. The fleet air arm had a number of land bases in the past. As for transport aircraft, the work is done chiefly for the british army so the army could take that part over. Training could be done at an mod unit. Central flying school would remain, as part of the mod.
Any thoughts/opinions?
Any thoughts/opinions?
I don't own this space under my name. I should have leased it while I still could
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: Lincolnshire
Age: 80
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When an OP appears on a forum and offers up a blatantly inflammatory question with no posting history it certainly appears as a fishing trip.
You’ll note he/she hasn’t reappeared since asking the question.
If it is a lazy attempt to get us to do their homework for them then it needs more effort.
If it is designed to make us Air Force types get all indignant and wound up he/she really will have to try harder.
Until some serious meat is put on the bones of why they came here to ask the question they should not expect any serious answers.
BV
You’ll note he/she hasn’t reappeared since asking the question.
If it is a lazy attempt to get us to do their homework for them then it needs more effort.
If it is designed to make us Air Force types get all indignant and wound up he/she really will have to try harder.
Until some serious meat is put on the bones of why they came here to ask the question they should not expect any serious answers.
BV
It is clear that the British (was about to say UK, but that is not PC) armed services are vastly experienced, but completely out of scale with current military realities.
Imho, the British military should best be compared to the US Marine Corps, they are both roughly the same size and serve largely as overseas intervention forces.
That does suggest that if the USMC can maintain an integral air force with no more than unit patches, so could Britain.
What is of course missed is that the US Marines do get access to the whole doctrine, design, develop, produce and support bureaucracy of the rest of the US military.
The British equivalent of this is presumably in Whitehall, invisible to budget cutters, even though that is where most of the money goes astray.
To illustrate, Space X provided government launch services for about a third the cost of the United Launch Alliance, the previous monopolist supplier.
Yet the USLA books were fully compliant with the lowest cost, best price requirements of the Defense Contracts Audit Agency....
Imho, the British military should best be compared to the US Marine Corps, they are both roughly the same size and serve largely as overseas intervention forces.
That does suggest that if the USMC can maintain an integral air force with no more than unit patches, so could Britain.
What is of course missed is that the US Marines do get access to the whole doctrine, design, develop, produce and support bureaucracy of the rest of the US military.
The British equivalent of this is presumably in Whitehall, invisible to budget cutters, even though that is where most of the money goes astray.
To illustrate, Space X provided government launch services for about a third the cost of the United Launch Alliance, the previous monopolist supplier.
Yet the USLA books were fully compliant with the lowest cost, best price requirements of the Defense Contracts Audit Agency....

Last edited by Easy Street; 10th Feb 2021 at 22:45.

Join Date: Dec 2004
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It is just a name.
However, it relates to pay.
If you were the boss of a factory that had 150-200 people you would expect to get paid as well (if not more) than a Sqn boss who will be a Wg Cdr earning £70k ish, RRP is not rank dependent and is specialist pay.
Look at anyone in charge of 10,000 people they will be paid significantly more than an AOC Gp and likely way more than CDS, never mind CAS.
Google CEOs of companies of 32,000 people and see what they get paid...
Last edited by heights good; 10th Feb 2021 at 23:44.

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That being said, I doubt the other services will let CAS do the Xmas message, decide on the generic non-gendered-inoffensive-PC name for the personnel (formerly known as soldiers, sailors and aviators) or the hair regs 😀
Last edited by heights good; 10th Feb 2021 at 23:51.
The OP is probably just trolling for laughs but the question is not as silly as it sounds. Canada went down this route although it was easier because all shipborne air are helicopters embarked on frigates and destroyers. Those guys and gals are Air Force members but tend to do the majority of their careers as MH drivers so they are a defacto Fleet Air Air and it actually works pretty well.
The bean counters made a pretty convincing case you could get the same bang for significantly less bucks and in the post COVID budget reality you can bet this idea is going to be floated in a venue much more consequential than PPRuNe....
The bean counters made a pretty convincing case you could get the same bang for significantly less bucks and in the post COVID budget reality you can bet this idea is going to be floated in a venue much more consequential than PPRuNe....
BPF
You’re right. Canada did go down that route. And then made a dirty great big U turn.
PN.
It’s not a username I have ever seen post in this forum. If he is an experienced poster it is a very odd way of doing business.
BV
PN.
It’s not a username I have ever seen post in this forum. If he is an experienced poster it is a very odd way of doing business.
BV
Last edited by Bob Viking; 11th Feb 2021 at 06:13.