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-   -   Britain is guarded.....by the French (https://www.pprune.org/military-aviation/431441-britain-guarded-french.html)

Strato Q 22nd Oct 2010 11:05

Britain is guarded.....by the French
 
I know this has been posted on the MRA4 thread, but I thought it deserved a wider audience.

Britain must now depend on the French to stave off naval attack | The Sun |News


AXING the RAF's Nimrod spy planes leaves Britain's defences so weak we will have to depend on the FRENCH to stave off a naval attack on us.

French Atlantique planes operating from UK bases will monitor and intercept unauthorised ships and submarines.

The humiliation comes exactly 205 years to the day after Nelson's fleet saw off Napoleon at Trafalgar.

And The Sun can reveal that just as Prime Minister David Cameron was announcing the axing, TWO Russian submarines were intercepted less than 70 miles off our shores.

They had to be tracked by American P3 Orion jets because our Nimrods were grounded and the French planes had NO FUEL.

The incident was an embarrassing reminder to politicians about the importance of having eyes in the skies around Britain.

The nine Nimrods, which cost Ł3billion, were designed for anti-sub warfare and marine patrols.

A source at RAF Kinloss, Scotland, said: "Axing them was very short-sighted.

"These planes offer vital cover around our shores and keep us safe from attack from the sea.

"Without them we will have to rely on the French to monitor the skies and look for rogue vessels."

Defence expert John Lake said the decision ended "65 years of world-leading anti-sub and maritime patrol capability".

An MoD spokesman said: "We routinely operate alongside our allies and will utilise a range of military assets to ensure the integrity of UK waters."

Flarkey 22nd Oct 2010 11:34

http://i152.photobucket.com/albums/s...228/record.jpg

sled dog 22nd Oct 2010 13:26

"Orion jets" quothe the Sun. What are those spinning things on the front of the engines ? :O

Jumping_Jack 22nd Oct 2010 13:30

....they are the props powered by the jets...:ugh:

Pontius Navigator 22nd Oct 2010 13:51

The French Navy has a long history of working with the Royal Navy, for instance the Battle of Mers-el-Kébir or the Battle of Oran in Jul 1940.

Jackonicko 22nd Oct 2010 13:52

And don't forget the Battle of the Nile and Trafalgar, PN

Pontius Navigator 22nd Oct 2010 14:16

Before my time Jacko :)

getsometimein 22nd Oct 2010 15:02

"... a hunt for a real life Red October"???

Has The Sun reporter ever actually seen the movie or read the book?

It is all quite ironic... However none of this is going to bring Nimrod back.

Sook 22nd Oct 2010 15:38

Sun indignation at 1950's airliner derived MPA replacing a 1950's...oh wait a minute..:}

MATELO 22nd Oct 2010 15:43

Did I read that bit in the paper right......


Sometimes carrying Nuclear Bombs designed to take out Russian Submarines
:eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek:



A source at Kinloss said: "The Yanks can't find the Russki.
"You've got to think the Nimrods, which are far better equipped for the job, would have pinpointed it in double quick time."
That would be a first. :D:D:D

retrosgone 22nd Oct 2010 16:19

The Nimrod did carry nuclear depth bombs - up until about 1992 when they were withdrawn from service. As far as finding nuclear submarines goes, the Nimrod MR2 with its highly trained and experienced crews had a much better track record that our US allies at locating and successfully tracking Russian submarines. The airframe was old, but the kit on board wasn't. The gap in our defences and capabilities caused by the hasty cancellation of the MRA4 is yawning and humiliating.

MATELO 22nd Oct 2010 16:32

Sorry Retro, .. what I was referring to was the Americans Carrying the NDB's.

Mike7777777 22nd Oct 2010 16:49

Historically, the RN generally held the threat status as (in descending order):

1) War Office
2) The French
3) Enemy of the day

Difficult to believe that we have reached this low point, irrespective of the activities of short-term political parasites.

Siggie 22nd Oct 2010 21:06

Why would the Russkies bother sending an Akula down to find and track our subs? All you need is a good pair of binos and a map of the shallow bits around Skye.

Charlie Luncher 22nd Oct 2010 23:39

At least there should be a promotion to capt in the RN coming up shortly:=.
Siggie is just me or are you getting flashbacks too:8. Where is the "Prince"these days I wonder:E.
But the French desparate times, could be worse,could be relying on Matelots:eek:
Charlie sends

Thelma Viaduct 23rd Oct 2010 01:11

Anything in that rag is a lie.

barnstormer1968 23rd Oct 2010 01:43

"... a hunt for a real life Red October"???

Has The Sun reporter ever actually seen the movie or read the book?
It is all quite ironic... However none of this is going to bring Nimrod back.


I'd guess not, as the real Red October was a surface ship, and not a sub! (not to mention it was 'hunted' by its own side)

dat581 23rd Oct 2010 08:32

Yippie! Australia no longer has to worry about beating those pesky Poms to claim the Fincastle Trophey!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:ugh:

Siggie 23rd Oct 2010 12:58

I was going to leave a decent amount of time after the SDSR announcement before asking if we could have the Fincastle trophies back to carry on the competition.
It would never be the same without the Poms, but we would look after them well until you return.

Ivan Rogov 23rd Oct 2010 13:34

Pious Pilot you are quite right............

it says that the Akula does not carry nuclear missiles

Akula class submarine - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


Whereas the Russian Navy's Akula-II is equipped with 28 nuclear-capable cruise missiles with a striking range of 3,000 km (1,620 nmi; 1,864 mi), the Indian version was reportedly expected to be armed with the 300 km (162 nmi; 186 mi)-range 3M-54 Klub nuclear-capable missiles
They are obviously referring to the lack of ICBM, however these cruise missiles launched from a few hundred miles away would be almost impossible to detect (unlike ICBM) until it was too late. Best we don't fall out with our best mates the Russians :\

RK-55 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

3M-54 Klub - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


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