RAF training cuts leave Typhoons idle
 

From the Daily Telegraph:

See: RAF training cuts leave Typhoons idle - Telegraph

Oh, of course you have. How silly of the paper to have suggested otherwise...:hmm:

They must have heard you.

LIBYA: RAF Typhoons drop first bombs in combat

Still, I hear Typhoons have all but stopped using the ranges in the last few years. So I guess there is at least an element of truth in the telegraph report.

TR

Yet the 'demands and pace of operations' are such that the RAF needs to replace all of the Typhoon pilots in theatre at then end of this month because it is too demanding to do more than 2 months in theatre. Really?!

Not the Aircrew's faults I know, just politics. They're doing the best job they can with the shackles they've been constrained within.

Are the Tornado GR4s designating the bombs in for the Typhoons?

Typerated, the Typhoon does not carry (can't) practice bombs although it can strafe but an £80m aircraft firing a gun at a £100k truck makes little sense.

There is a training version of paveway but it is still a large piece of metal that has the potential to fly away from its intended target which makes the English and Welsh ranges too small.

To use the Scottish range, or overseas would be expensive as there is no requirement for the tiffy to drop bombs (I think they decided :cool:)

Foghorn Leghorn,

The Telegraph would have you believe that the Litening pods are still in their packing cases at RAF Coningsby. The Typhoon is regularly noted carrying the pods and can designate for itself and others.

The only problem with the designating pod is that it takes up the centre-line station. Rafale for example carries the a pod on a non-stores location. I don't think that there is any other solution for the Typhoon in regards to pod carriage as it would mean taking up one of the AMRAAM recessed locations? There would probably be clearance issues for the nearby pylons if it was mounted there?

Rafale pod location.

Mer et Marine : Toute l'actualité maritime

http://www.xisquadron.co.uk/News/AFM...ngsofSwing.pdf

No doubt there will be some images coming out of Italy?

TJ

TJ

Could that be a Tornado GR4 designating for a bomb released from a Typhoon?

Fog Leg - of course it could be, but why would they lie so openly? The truth would eventually out and it's simply not worth it. I'm sure that is what it says it is. And the weapon effect is definitely NOT a DMS Brimstone!

I enjoyed reading the last paragraph of the link by typerated:

:ok:

They wouldn't be lying, as technically the Typhoon would have struck the MBT with a weapon released from the aircraft. It just wouldn't have been laser designated by the same aircraft though.

That's a bloomin expensive way of getting rid of MBTs and APCs. Surely something along the lines of a GAU-8 would be cheaper per mission?

Forgive me for asking something here that I've been wondering for some time. Why isn't the Typhoon qualified to fire the Brimstone (yet)? It'd seem like a logical thing to do I'd think.

Pilot training in the old days.
 

Slight thread drift, but I'm going for a tenuous link with the pilot training bit.
Image of 2 pages from a RFC Training Record book dated 1917.

http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/d...ansfercard.jpg

Rengineer

'Forgive me for asking something here that I've been wondering for some time. Why isn't the Typhoon qualified to fire the Brimstone (yet)? It'd seem like a logical thing to do I'd think.'

Put simply - cost. If you've got GR4s to fire the DMS Brimstone (and Stormshadow, 27mm, Pwy2/3/4, etc) then why spend good money this year get your (primary role AD) Typhoons able to duplicate? GR4s will go eventually and just before then you need multi-role Typhoon.

Given 20/20 hindsight you could argue that it would give you cover for Libya, but that's a bit harsh!

Not at night!

Nice post to lighten the tone Spurlash:ok:

Rengineer; the answer to your question is mired in years of procurement politics:ugh:

years of international procurement politics

and at least it has a gun

Not nearly as potentially expensive as entering the MANPAD threat range with your GAU-8. (Not that it's a UK option)

I'd like to know whether Brimstone has been guided using mmW in Libya, be interesting to see whether it works as advertised in that regard and whether Toyota pickups are in their data bank. :}

Thanks Rector! Put that way, it makes sense.

Libya: RAF Typhoon fighters carry out first ever attack - Telegraph

Was this really the case?