Tornado jets!
 

Government armed forces minister answering urgent question in the HoC on Ukraine just stated at the dispatch box that British Tornadoes yesterday conducted operations from their base at RAF Akrotiri….

I hate to break the news to him…..

I surely do hope this is not representative of his expertise in defence matters...

Tornado jets!
 

I have just listened to the U.K. Armed Forces Minister giving an update on British military manoeuvres with regard to the Ukraine invasion. Mr James Heappey then rather astonishingly announced that ‘Tornado jets’ were patrolling out of Cyprus. I find it incredible that a British minister should make such an error bearing in mind that Tornados were scrapped some years ago! I presume that he meant Typhoons. However it does not give me any confidence that our government has any credibility when it comes to military matters being apparently more concerned with lgbt rights etc. Even more surprising that Mr Heappey as a former British army officer should make such a schoolboy error. In fact most schoolboys of my generation would know the detail of every military aircraft in the U.K. inventory.

James Heappey
 

Armed Forces Minster has just stated in the commons that 'Tornado jets are being used'.
Er am I missing something?

What a foolish post. The man is certainly extremely busy during a crisis and you try to create an issue from an inconsequential mistake.

Er there's a war on - careless talk costs lives and all that - which in my book means confirming or debunking anything like this is no help to Ukraine

It is not an inconsequential mistake if the armed forces minister cannot even get the correct names of current British fast jets and quotes a redundant type. It demonstrates a mindset towards the military of the United Kingdom.

At least he wasn't referring to EE Lightnings.

I heard Malcolm Rifkind on the BBC referring to Sea King Harriers during the Falklands Invasion.

It demonstrates nothing of the sort. It was a minor mistake - nothing more. The only people who don't make mistakes are those who do nothing.

It is not a minor mistake at all. It should be expected that ministers demonstrate ministerial competence and get the facts right.

Yes I think everyone knows those and the Hunters were usually kept back for more specialised operations elsewhere..

My little model of a Lightning never flew very well.

This is absolutely not pointless. A government minister should be on top of his brief; the devil is in the detail. Our front line fast jet squadrons comprise typhoons and F35s. If you are armed forces minister and you either don’t know that or you allow your spad / civil servant write your speech, uncorrected for crucial detail you are not on top of your job. Sure, it may have been an error written in the heat of the moment. However the RAF / RN crews who are front line, highly trained personnel can only feel undermined by this lack of technical understanding. Maybe it’s just me.

Pompous rubbish. The people who matter (not you - obviously) know what was meant.