Should have kept Lyneham Open
On a GAPAN visit to Brize at the station commander’s briefing, I asked the question :
So, you have all the transport and tanker assets of the RAF at Brize, with just one runway. Now, what happens if a terrorist or three creep on to said runway and blow holes in it! Rendering it unuseable ?
We have a plan said SC , next question please !
I do hope the plan was/is cunning !
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The cost of the move (Project Hercules) was considerably south of £200M, a little adrift from your figure.
Relocating all the C130s to Brize was also not inexpensive...
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C130's been operating out of Kidlington (Oxford Kidlington) are the RAF going to start dispersing the fleet to get over the runway & logistics problems ?.
Pinched from fightercontrol.co.uk:
Current Operating positions:
Updated 27/07/21
RAF Mildenhall:
Voyager ZZ331
Birmingham Airport
Voyager ZZ337
Gatwick Airport
Voyager ZZ333
Stansted Airport
Voyager ZZ335 currently on its way to RAF Akotiri.
RAF Fairford
C-130J ZH866
C-17A ZZ178
A-400M ZM412
Oxford Aiport
C-130J ZH872
PS Another Herc was operating from Little Rissington but I believe this is now the one operating from Fairford.
Current Operating positions:
Updated 27/07/21
RAF Mildenhall:
Voyager ZZ331
Birmingham Airport
Voyager ZZ337
Gatwick Airport
Voyager ZZ333
Stansted Airport
Voyager ZZ335 currently on its way to RAF Akotiri.
RAF Fairford
C-130J ZH866
C-17A ZZ178
A-400M ZM412
Oxford Aiport
C-130J ZH872
PS Another Herc was operating from Little Rissington but I believe this is now the one operating from Fairford.
So, all dispersed, all operating, early use of CAS dispersal exercise, what's the problem?
sycamore,
Again, what's the problem?
Again, what's the problem?
zetec2
The RAF patently ARE dispersing the fleet to get over runway problems!
The RAF patently ARE dispersing the fleet to get over runway problems!
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So, all dispersed, all operating, early use of CAS dispersal exercise, what's the problem?
’What’s the problem?’ Well, the entire AT fleet is at a base which has only a single runway which couldn’t cope with a short spell of hot weather. Such hot spells are likely to be more common in the future thanks to the dreaded climate change. That some of the aircraft had to divert and are now operating out of nearby civil airports (who must be loving the fuel & parking charges) doesn’t mitigate the effect on operations. Sounds like a problem to me.
This reads like a script for 'Yes Minister'. You can just see Sir Humphrey extolling the virtues and cost-savings of putting all the aeroplanes on one base, Jim Hacker doing his best to make sense of it all when Bernard takes a phone call and relays the message to the minister. "Are you telling me Bernard, that none of those aircraft can take off, because the runway has melted?" "Yes, minister." (Cue the credits/end music).
