Aircraft needed in Afghanistan
 

"High ranking British officers in Afghanistan say they need more air power to assist ground troops, who are facing increasing violence."

Full story on BBCi.

Perhaps this is one of those "I told you so" moments?

More here.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article...251664,00.html

Question is, where do we get the reinforcements from? all AT and RW assets are already working at max. capacity, so it HAS to come from international forces rather than us. This is what you get by cutting expenditure and investment in our armed forces over a prolonged period I suspect...

"Rockets slam into coalition base in Afghanistan"
 

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/13647004/

Is it just me, or does anybody else think we are being sucked into something we really don't want to be getting involved in.

Right the way back to Alexander the Great, Darius III and the Mongols, history shows that Afghanistan has been a nightmare, with invading armies either trying and failing to dominate the region, or having dominated it for a short while, getting kicked out in the next invasion.

Apparently the fact that we fought and lost 3 Anglo-Afghan Wars between 1839 and 1919, the fact the Soviets couldn't cope, the fact that the country was destroyed by a civil war lasting almost a decade, has all been ignored by Bliar and his mob in favour of a token deployment to make this awful government look good to the rest of the world.

No one has managed to sort Afghanistan out in over 2000 years, may be that should have been a hint

We do of course have other helo assets - just not green ones!
I'm of course more interested exactly who the 'sources' are here. Are these trusted, unusual or reliable or just a Col/Gp Capt/Capt Smith who has got to the end of his tether [having now read the Times bit I see it was 'just' a Lt Gen]
Clearly investment required from some quarter and in the very short term too.
More Op Tours anyone? But a really fine tightrope balance between requirement/capability and morale.

I am sure our NATO colleagues will help!!!!!!!!!!!!
Si

Well it is not likely to be from our MPs or thier families is it?.

Maybe Harry Windsor may get his frontline tour earlier than he thought....

The Commons Defence Committee raised precisely these concerns back in April.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/4881824.stm

The compulsive liar and former alcoholic communist John Reid claimed that

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/4935532.stm

After Friday, there will be no opportunity for Parliamentary scrutiny of this Op until October. There are a lot of days and nights between then and now, and the liars in government will do their best to pretend all is well, regardless of human cost.

JtheD, well done for digging out the appropriate quotes from various ministers, "not firing a shot"? Hmmm.

Is there a public statement from any government minister explaining exactly what the UK mission in Afghanistan is? I've followed this fairly closely, but I must admit I'm still in the dark about what UK forces are expected to achieve.

I know that on this forum we are different to other groups of people in society. But are we so different??? Why Why Why did we vote Bliar and his croonies back in. Dont give me the 'There was no realistic alternative party c**p'. I would rather have voted for Lord Such of the Monster raving looney party than Bliar, Two punches prescott and Gorblimey Brown Nose (its just Lord Such pegged out on us!). I am sure that there are many people in the states with the same feelings.Is the rest of the population Fecking blind and deaf?? My girlie is in Afghanistan medevacing the troops out. You only hear about the small(but to many)number of poor troops that have been killed. There are MASSES of guys being expatriated that are wounded. Funny that Bliar has never been to vist a single one of them in hospital(or convalecsence sp? for that matter) from either Afghanistan or Iraq. He is a spinless liar that lacks any amount of moral courage, fortitude, leadership, blah blah blah. I dont have the energy to go on. He will kill hundreds of british servicemen and women, but he will get his slot in the european parliment and have a house in an acre or two of camp david or where ever the hell George Bushe's place is.

So bloody mad for all the dead and injured:mad: :mad: :mad:

Perhaps he could start off Veterans Day by visiting all the wounded who are missing limbs, confined to wheelchairs, Psyhcologically wrecked for life etc etc.

Please forgive all spelling mistakes as i am on a thirteen hour flight back to blighty trying out the new 'on-board internet' with probably too many G+T's. But hes still a Git whatever.

Rant Over

couldn't the fleet air arm send some sea kings ?

Another two troops killed overnight.:(

Very "interesting" article in the Sunday Times here.

Good reporting and a demonstration of the need for more "air".

:uhoh:

But whence the 'air'?

Essay question
 

So can anyone now tell me why the US didn't really do anything in Helmand since entering the country in late 2001?

Of course we need more assets as right now it's like trying to fight with all the situational awareness conferred by looking down a drinking straw (and it's not even one of the bendy ones). It isn't like Malaya where you could move the relatively ill-informed villagers into your specially made villages, this is the 21st Century where all the tribal links are supported by mobiles and the internet and although we are a 'force for good', no-one has told the Taliban that...:ugh:

I imagine all the spare is booked-up with airshows this summer. We could certainly free up a C130 if there was the will to commit to ops above, say, the Falcons.

Dallas, that is not strictly true.

Whilst not wishing to discuss aircraft availability on here there would need to be some significant money spending before the C130 fleet could be used to it's maximum potential.

And that's not going to happen now is it?

:rolleyes:

It appears that they need more CAS and SH more than anything else at this point. A slack handful of Apache and Harrier to cover a province about the size of Wales is stretching it.

Interesting comment from the times article

Two questions

1. Could the Jaguars that are awaiting disposal be used for CAS, Tac Reece etc?

2. Could support helos be sent there from other, less dangerous, theatres eg the Balkans?

Now thats just crazy talk. Are you trying to say there is actually a job that an aircraft which is being 'got rid of' could be doing?

Who'd have thunk it eh? The Jag being binned whilst the hanger queen that is the Tornado soliders on (though not in Afganistan).

We're pissing money away keeping the Jags going for another year or so for no other reason, it seems, than to keep the pilots current prior to moving to Typhoon (?). Might as well as use them for something useful!