MoD charters aircraft to move personnel out of Afghanistan
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MoD charters aircraft to move personnel out of Afghanistan
Errrrr...thought we had some aircraft in the RAF for that kind of job...Voyager, C-17,A400,and C-130s.....? ....or are we `contractorising ` every thing now....maybe it`s all too difficult at Brize..
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It’s probably they have a contract clause in place that the voyager cannot be flown into a combat zone 
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As a brokerage, Air Charter Service does not own any aircraft, but arranges helicopter, private jet, commercial airline, and cargo aircraft charters ranging from the massive Antonov AN-225, Airbus A330 and down to the BAE 146.
The RAF would probably have had to use half a Squadron, multiple dozens of people, and took ages to do all of the staffing/planning/and tanker loads of Holy Water sprinkled on it all as compared to the Civvie movers procedures and manning.
Nutty, it would be more than ironic...it would be a big slap on the face for MOD and the RAF,and the idiots who created the PFI in the first place....
I would agree with FED that the A225 is a `big` lifter for outsize/unusual loads,but military aircraft are supposed to be able to carry most of the military equipment into the combat arena in the first place(ignoring naval shipping)....
and the headline says `personnel`,,so they must be bringing back the whole store of carpets from Kabul....
I suppose the Voyagers will be gearing up for `the bucket `n spade` brigade.....
I would agree with FED that the A225 is a `big` lifter for outsize/unusual loads,but military aircraft are supposed to be able to carry most of the military equipment into the combat arena in the first place(ignoring naval shipping)....
and the headline says `personnel`,,so they must be bringing back the whole store of carpets from Kabul....
I suppose the Voyagers will be gearing up for `the bucket `n spade` brigade.....
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This gives you an idea of the voyager usage at the moment.
https://ukdefencejournal.org.uk/how-...ing-per-month/
https://ukdefencejournal.org.uk/how-...ing-per-month/
ISTR that the contractor who operated the roulemont airbridge out to Al-Udeid AB, Qatar for many years during the noughties, was quite good. Seemed to be on time and quite comfortable.
Can't remember their name though...?
Can't remember their name though...?
Ecce Homo! Loquitur...
Would the composite/ally airframes, with the different coefficient of expansion of those materials, cope as well with the huge temperature differences experienced night/day on dispersal and from ground to altitude, let alone the electronics and air con
Biggest problem encountered is in the engines, not composites, caused by the pollution around mega cities rather than in the “Asiatic wastelands”…..
https://www.theengineer.co.uk/rolls-...ms-trent-1000/
Lack of airframes maybe? Too many cuts, too many PFI contracts on far too favourable terms for the contractors etc. Don't see the problem though, when we had tons of airlift we used charter aircraft for Germany troop rotations. so why not now.
All the indications are the Afghan government will collapse this summer under Taliban pressure once close air support is removed. https://www.longwarjournal.org/archi...-six-weeks.php
Imho the use of private contractors is to permit the military to minimize the scale of the disaster.
Imho the use of private contractors is to permit the military to minimize the scale of the disaster.
Well, the article linked to says:
So - it's a wet charter of airline airframes. Which makes sense as Kabul is an international airport, currently served by Fly Dubai and Turkish Airlines, amongst others, not some rough desert strip in the bondu!
The Ministry of Defence has chartered aircraft to move millitary (sic) personnel between Kabul and Birmingham International Airport.
Its unlikely that any of the transport fleet, apart from aging Hercs, that were run into the ground, would have been able to deal reliably with the conditions.
Would the composite/ally airframes, with the different coefficient of expansion of those materials, cope as well with the huge temperature differences experienced night/day on dispersal and from ground to altitude, let alone the electronics and air con
Would the composite/ally airframes, with the different coefficient of expansion of those materials, cope as well with the huge temperature differences experienced night/day on dispersal and from ground to altitude, let alone the electronics and air con
That`ll let the Fleet continue doing circuits/holds/approaches at all points of the compass....
When they get to BHX,the Movers will probably have everybody `bussed` down to Brize for `Processing`,then quarantine perhaps......
When they get to BHX,the Movers will probably have everybody `bussed` down to Brize for `Processing`,then quarantine perhaps......