Jolly, ordinarily I follow your reasoning, not so much this time. You have described the differences, I would have thought similarities would be more topical. The GB condition otherwise could be compared to Bhutan, Eritrea, or Sao Tome, with a similar relevance. Am I missing something?

The UK has would back its defence over time as a practical matter related to assumed peace dividends, and wishful thinking of the politicians, coupled with a touch of lunacy with the exit from the EU..that they need to increase expenditure on security and border protection should not come as a surprise to anyone, those that voted for Brexit is
don't have much to complain about, they made this omelette.

The drawdown of defence balances the mess of the economy, but it has always been a case that the fight in the dog counts as much as the stature, something Russia failed to remember. The UK MoD needs to increase its ready capability, but it is not the only one in NATO that has some activity in that score.

Frank Gardner Report
 

I apologise for the Instagram link for the video. If anyone is able to find a better link please post it.

I find the video a really uncomfortable watch to be honest. The attacks of last week by Hamas were utterly horrific and cannot be excused in any way but I do not support what Israel has started by way of retaliation and I greatly fear what they are planning to do next.

Jets fully loaded with dumb bombs and what appears to be a campaign to flatten Gaza City is not a good look.

I really do not like the way that Western nations are blindly and predictably supporting Israel and effectively giving them Carte Blanche to do whatever they like. If ever there was a time to urge restraint and try to get round a table to find some sort of peaceful resolution this would seem to be it.

Increasingly, to me, Israel feel like a friend that you go to the pub with every Friday and they keep starting fights. Sooner or later you feel you should suggest to them that maybe there is a better way to enjoy a Friday night.

Maybe my view will be an unpopular one but I’m open to be educated if anyone feels that necessary. Just don’t resort to name calling or condescension.

BV


https://www.instagram.com/reel/CyTlg...RlODBiNWFlZA==

Again, presumably with an escort.

The Israeli Air Force Oron (c/s IRON1, reg. 452), a new multi-mission surveillance platform with a large conformal antenna array on the side of the aircraft, is watching Lebanon after the IDF announced that they were starting airstrikes against targets in Lebanon.

https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....25d40f4b5.jpeg

https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....742af9f71.jpeg

This thread about the current air war - there’s a thread in JB if you want to join the who started it hamster wheel…

This thread is not going to become a Hamster Wheel.

Stick to the thread topic which is the Air War over Gaza and the surrounding land and sea areas and not the cause of the war as that topic is being discussed in Jet Blast where it belongs.

I read said Aviationist Article earlier and remembered fifteen years ago at Farnborough Air Show 2008, I was strolling around the static on the first day of the show and came across IDFAf then new special missions Gulfstream so here are my photos below.
https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....db02d7d7c9.jpg
https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....b356b8d658.jpg

Cheers

If Russia is taking sides and aiding Iran in Syria then the base and runway at Latakia becomes a valid target for the IAF - and its fighters if they try and intervene….

After Israeli attacks on the Assad regime airports of Damascus and Aleppo, the Iranian regime now uses the Russian air base in Latakia to transport fighters and weapons to the region.

https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....ebbef0cdc6.png
​​​​​​​

There seems to a coordinated evacuation of foreign nations by out of Tel Aviv.

Presumably other types as well as C-17s and A-400Ms, but they’re easier to search for and identify.

Hopefully the person Bluey was worried about is on one of the Aussie flights.

Seems a question that should be asked is what (if any) cargo and/or passengers are on the flights inbound to Israel.

Humanitarian aid, arms/weapons, SpecOps Troops, helicopters?

Hostage Rescue is a top priority for not only Israel but for several other Nations.

Likewise, when we see cargo capable aircraft arriving in other places with origins from places like Iran....we should be curious about what they are transporting.

Also....with one US Navy Carrier near by and a second one being deployed there is going to be some question as to what assets naval forces will be available for operations yet unspecified or announced.

For much of that OpSec will be important for the opposing forces and intelligence capability will play a major role in how this all plays out.

The Playing Board is in place....and now all of the Playing Pieces are being arrayed.

How this turns out shall be very interesting.

Shall we see a very sophisticated and technologically equipped military force be able to effectively and efficiently deal with what shall probably become a house to house urban battle space where each room is a contested battle against a dedicated insurgent force?

Sadly, I expect something less subtle, rather more indiscriminate and far more destructive.

SASless, it is my estimation that the USN Carrier battle group is there to deter Iran, Syria, and anyone else from jumping in to support Hamas. Could be wrong, but that's how it smells to me. As I look at the geography, I don't see a practical use of the naval assets for missile defense, but there are ample platforms that can be on task keeping eyes on things around the clock.

Way back when SH-60B (not the current MH-60R) was my steed, we spent ample time flying about with Mk 1 eyeballs, Radar, and ESM/EW sensors as our sole reason for being airborne. The current version birds have some better kit.
Not sure if they carry Hellfires, will check.
EDIT:
Yeah. The Hellfire mod came along while the B was still in service. R's have that capability.

So far, within bounds.
For the next bit, please head to the thread in Jet Blast.
Thank you in advance.

Bob,

I'm very much in agreement with your sentiments here.

Russia bombing the sh*t out of Ukrainian civilians is, of course, widely condemned. Israel doing similar to Palestinian civilians seems somewhat less so by those in power in the Western world.

T28B
 

That’s fair enough. I drifted my own thread. It won’t happen again.

BV

Get round a table and find a peace resolution. How many times has that been attempted before. Whatever happens, whoever represents the anti-Israeli position, whatever they agree to they will soon breach any seize fire. In 1939, while the world headed toward WW2, Palestinian Arabs and Jews were brought together in an attempt to resolve, peacefully, changes to the Balfour Declaration, following an Arab revolt from 1936 to 1939. The attempt at a resolution, the Peel Commission, was a shambles, because the Arabs refused to sit in the same room as the Jews. The British Colonial Secretary had to trapse back and forth with messages and retorts from each side as a result. Chamberlain was proposing to limit Jewish immigration to Palestine to just 75,000 over the next five years. Bearing in mind the timing......well, the rest is history as they say!

FB

So, POTUS will likely fly into a War Zone - not for the first time.
But it appears to be a pretty Hezbollah missile rich environment.
I imagine there will be quite the USAF and IDF strike package accompanying him with all sorts of EW cover.
Presumably Air Force One for that trip could be a C-17 or similar?

Air strikes into Gaza
 

In the report I linked to earlier it mentioned 2000 strikes so far in the recent conflict. Is there a reliable source for what strikes are happening? I was wondering if they meant 2000 weapons had been dropped/fired or if they meant 2000 sorties had been launched. If it’s the latter, that’s a staggering amount in such a short space of time.

This feels like a job for ORAC! 😁

BV

The Bataan Amphibious Ready Group, including the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit, is heading to waters near Israel, two defense officials with knowledge of the situation say. Will give the U.S. military a force of Marines on hand with a wide array of capabilities.

The task force, deployed aboard three amphibious warships, has more than 4,000 sailors and Marines, fighter jets and an infantry battalion.

Two ships involved, the USS Bataan and USS Carter Hall, were in the Gulf of Oman on Monday after leaving Kuwait recently.

The third associated ship, the USS Mesa Verde, was "disaggregated," in a separate location, when the Hamas attack occurred. Will head to eastern Med. [The Mesa Verde left its home port in Spain on Monday.]

https://www.cnn.com/2023/10/16/polit...ael/index.html

US Marine rapid response force moving toward Israel as Pentagon strengthens military posture in region

It would seem this will turn out to be an underground war rather than a continued air war - the IDF are going into the 300km maze of Hamas tunnels.

Bombing civilians is barbarous and illegal and perhaps the US have put enough pressure on Israel to realise that.