12 Sqn get ANOTHER 12 months
 

Mr Fallon said this second reprieve for the eight bombers based in Cyprus would ensure the RAF retained "the essential precision firepower, intelligence and surveillance" capabilities needed for operations against IS - also known as Isil.

Speaking in Baghdad, where he has met Iraqi officials, he said Iraq needed British help with air support, training and equipment, but not with ground troops.

"RAF Tornados have carried out hundreds of strikes, helping Iraqi forces push back Isil from the Kurdish region and out of key towns such as Tikrit and Bayji," he said.

"We want to ensure we maintain this crucial operational tempo and so we will extend the lifetime of Number 12 Squadron for a further year to March 2017."


Islamic State crisis: UK to extend air strikes over Iraq - BBC News

Not as if he had much choice

Presumably it won't make this situation any easier?

http://www.pprune.org/military-aviat...tage-navs.html

Is it a roundabout way of saying the Typhoon can't do the job?

The UK Defence Secretary was interviewed on R4 this morning and I'm fairly sure I heard him say at one point "we have plenty of aircraft" or something similar. With a straight face, presumably.

That's already acknowledged so I doubt Fallon is being deliberately obtuse. The Typhoon can't use the dual-mode Brimstone missiles that are the Tornado's most flexible surface attack weapon, and on current forecasts won't be able to do so until 2018ish. Hence the planned Tornado retirement in 2019. All that is a matter of public record.

Although not relevant to the current campaign, similar issues affect the UK Stormshadow capability. Now, as to whether Eurofighter and BAE can deliver the weapons integration on schedule... we'll see!

Hopefully, it'll be another piece of evidence to suggest that 7 FJ sqns in Force 2020 just ain't enough. You can't do QRA, carrier strike and maintain any other contingency with that number.

All we need now is for someone to find a bag of willing WSOs down the back of the sofa and we are sorted.

With WSO's also being required for a new MPA, they might have to start a course for WSO's.

Out of a matter of interest how many hours do these 'clapped out' air frames have on them and what would be considered full life on average?

That's Kris's Kebab Shop saved for another year then . . .

KPax, I assume that is a wahhhhh?

So is 12sqn a non-formed unit now or are the same guys taking all the pain? Last I saw on egoat earlier in the year there was no kebabs as they were all confined to base and treated like second class people by the unit.

Probably stay as second class citizens until the MoD announces the "ISIS Campaign Medal" at which point they 'll all be sent to the beach while SO's deperately try and qualify for the gong................... :cool:

HH, slightly bitter, Mate.

On the point about WSOs, I wonder how well Fallon actually understands the big picture here. But that's OK, we wouldn't want military facts to get in the way of SDSR, would we?

I can hear it now, and well deserved, "Courtney, slightly bitter, Mate!"

Thank goodness we've still got these fine old aircraft and their equally gallant crews. The year's reprieve granted to this squadron by that old Thatcherite windbag Fallon exposes the paper-thin nature of our air force. Slashed and burned by this dreadful government our forces are struggling to cope. Has anybody got any idea how much this business is costing the UK and the effectiveness of the air-strikes? Are they worth the risk to personnel and aircraft?

12 Sqn is a formed unit, basically it's mostly the same people who were on II.

9, 31, and 12 are rotating through continually.

I'm not a betting man, however, I'd wager the Tornado goes on well past the current projected retirement age...and by some margin.

It does the job well, and if it can stay serviceable, it's very capable and good value.

Like that makes any difference whatsoever.

S-D

I think the Harrier Force had the same view, and theirs was a pretty brutal end in 2010.