RAF to reduce to 9 front line fast jet squadrons?
 

Hidden away in the depths of the Joint Combat Aircraft Basing Working study (JSF to Lossiemouth) by Group Captain Strategic Plans is an intriguing statement on the Tornado GR4 replacement, now known as the Future Combat Air Capability (FCAC).
This, it reveals, if the JSF is chosen, is to be 2 squadrons with a unit establishment of 8 a/c a piece plus an addition of 6 a/c to the JSF OCU. This to replace a current capability of 7 squadrons with a unit establishment of 13.

Add this to the rumoured 5 squadrons of Typhoons will leave the RAF with a front line of 9 fast jet squadrons, NINE!
( 5 Typhoon, 2 JSF and another 2 JSF as the fast jet element of the FCAC, plus the 2 RN JSF squadrons, that is if they can find any aircrew for them)

No wonder they only need 28 Hawk 128.

How did Noo Labour let them get away having 9 FJ sqns, surely Comrades Brown and Bliar only require 1 sqn -and that is of comfortable VIP transport aircraft that will do Heathrow/Washington in rapid time..

A total of 22 aircraft then. Mmm, quite a small number - in fact that is so small that I doubt even a cash strapped British military would bother procuring such small numbers. Why not just get a few more JSF or Tranche 3 Typhoon - less support costs afterall, than going to all the effort to have a support set-up for a 'fleet' of just 22 jets. Are you talking utter boll**ks.......? Perhaps!

sense1,

ER, I think you've rather missed the point, what they are talking about IS buying more JSF, so that is an addirional 22 alongside, or part of, the original JSF buy. It would then be a buy to support the original 4 squadrons to replace the Harrier and these two to replace GR4, plus an additional 6 for the OCU.

It was the overall reduction in squadrons that took me by surprise.

Oh, and it's not me talking utter bolleaux, it's Group Captain Strategic Plans from HQ STC.

Proone,

Check yer PMs!

JN

The study is available here, if anyone who's not yet seen it wishes to read it.

Wouldn't such a paper be at least Restricted?

Pr00ne has hit the nail on the head - just add up the publically-released plans for Typhoon and JCA. The gap between the 'Mighty FCAC JCA' wing of 16 ac will, of course, be filled by whatever UCAV/missile solutions are drummed up by the programmes that used to be FOAS etc...

The next question, coming to a Public Sector Spending Review 07 near you, is , 'If we can do with only 9 FJ sqns in 2020 why are we wasting money on more sqns now?'

In the words of Private Wilson 'We're doooooomed'

Jin,

You'd have thought so, but obviously not... FOI and all that, I suppose.

Archimedes see PM.

Do we even need 9 FJ Sqns? For the past 5 years all we've used is AT and helos with a decent CAS package - less jets = more money for the fleets doing the work!!!:ok:

And now here we are, six years on, with just eight frontline FJ squadrons (three Typhoon - 3, 6 and 11 and five GR4, II, IX, 12, 31, and 617) with every sign that the long term FJ fleet will be just six squadrons - five Typhoon (1, 3, 6, 11 and ??) and one expanded JSF Squadron.

9 Squadrons long term? I wish!

HARVEST HAWK simples !

Ah, has 'Admin Guru' been reborn as 'Antique Driver'? Surely that can be the only explanation for one of the most ill-informed, crass posts I have ever read here, other than flash baiting...

Same old story - more to do, less to do it with - I think UK PLC will realise at some stage in the not-too-distant future we can't continue with this fantasy that we're still a major power unless we fund accordingly, but until our politicians match egos to reality, we'll continue to man up and get on with it. Certainly makes life interesting!

So that'll be ten line mechanics needing two 1/2" AF spanners, a Soldering Iron and a tube of superglue.

The rest'll be up to BAE.

Not only are you winging about a 6-year-old post, you are complaining about a poster who has been gone from the forum for 5 1/2 years! :D

For your own sake... put down the beer.
;)

It is clearly flash-baiting though, although the Odiham mafia would genuinely have you believe that you can solve all the world's problems with SH. One word answer to that... Libya. I'd suggest that future appetite in the UK for Afghanistan-like ops will be fairly low, but probably much higher for ops of the ilk of Libya, so the future requirement for all aspects of air capability seems clear. That probably counts as a bite, rather than a full blown flash...

Further to my post above, I'm starting to hear intriguing rumours of a bigger-than-five Typhoon squadron FJ force (made possible by retaining Tranche 1), and a bigger than single-squadron JSF force.

People are even working on the old 138 JSF number, I'm told.

Shome Mishtake, Shurely?

In that case in order to make up a "routine" CVF deployment of 12 aircraft how do you make up that number one when the light blue sqns have at most 9 a/c and the dark blue only 8. Unless of course you plan to mix them which is waste of resource.

Jackonicko,

Where did you hear that gen? Standard rumourmill or a substantiated source?