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.

You are very quick with the insults Mixdown. I am a U.K. taxpayer and voter so I am entitled to an opinion which is all that it is. The people that matter here are the citizens of the U.K. and should expect accuracy from elected officials. But rather than let this turn into the usual pprune ego fest I will let others contribute. You probably wouldn’t get the irony of calling others pompous on line.

Like another minister recently, who confused the Black Sea with the Baltic Sea.

It is completely inconsequential. The man misspoke, end of story.

I think you need help...

Or an ex POTUS that confused Russian and American amphibious forces, also on the Black Sea?

Fully agree. These highly paid ministers should be able to keep on top of very very very basic details, like the names of our frontline fast jets.

There are only 2 of them left now!!

(I hate the way that some posters here like to shout others down by saying "I'm on the front line and I do/don't think what you said matters". This is an anonymous forum so no claims to authority can be made.)

Oh dead - another pop at Brexit eh?!

You lost, get over it. Bigger fish to fry now.

(The EU have refused to kick Russia out of Swift payments while the UK/US are trying to. Where's the EU's moral compass now?)

I watched the speech live, and did do a double take at the outset at the use of the word Tornado! But that aside it was a very good speech by a guy I have to confess I have not heard of before, and the subsequent exchanges were of equal quality, showing a good unity across the house.

Of course, had we still been in the EU we would could have provided that 'moral compass', but as you say, that ship has sailed.

At least no one has mentioned Spitfires and Lancaster's yet

Thinking back a few years IIRC the RAF's own on line advertising site had pictures of Tornadoes after the type was OOS.
Some contracted advertising guru using his" Ajiffniff." ?

Regardless of the miss type what are the ' Tornadoes ' actually doing? Flying over Ukraine and oif so what do they do if they spot a Red also over a Ukraine. ..??

How about Tiger Tanks?
https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....75bc78e775.jpg

Poor bloke has probably been briefed to death the last few days, working hard on capacity and he went back to a core memory regarding Tornados (which were in service in the same place doing a similar task probably when he was serving) rather than Typhoons during a speaking part in a stressful situation.

Must be ace being perfect like some of the stone throwers on here. Good job we have a just culture now.

They were mounting CAP over Romania. Part of a NATO wide series of CAP's right across the eastern borders.

So what do you think people serving would have thought when they/if heard that minor error by a `busy' politician?

Pure comedy! Do you think somebody ought to mention this to Boris. I haven't seen any evidence of this pesky requirement troubling him too much!

*Ring Ring, Ring Ring . . *

"Hello?"

"Hello, could we speak to Vladimir Putin, please?"

"Ah, yes, of course, that's fine - can I ask what it is in connection with please?"

"Yes, This is the 1970's and we'd like our Outdated Imperialist Dogma back . . ."

"That's fine. I'll see if he's available."

Years later . . .

"Hello, Caller - he is not available. He is in yet another Steroidal fight with his faceski. Too make it look youngski."

"That's okay, we'll wait . . ."

I thought "I know what he meant".

You keep repeating "Maybe its's just me", apparently either to drum up some support in sympathy, or possibly to soften the blow when you finally get the message that, yes, everybody else is confirming that not only it is just you, but that it is possibly the daftest bit of moaning they've heard for a long time. I'd stop digging.