Yo Jonsey!

Thats fishgard Block at HMS Raliegh isn’t it?

The RNR’s were put in there on the top floor as I recall which was not good. We used to get the same cr@p off the instructors as the Tiffs (Universally hated by the Navy because they got advancement on passing exams) I wouldn’t have bothered only I was an RNR Tiff and they always thought I was hiding out in the RNR mess. Used to **** me off somewhat so the D.O. said that I should wear my ‘Hooks’ – they left me alone after that 😀

… Will never forget that special PVR Pen

“He Came, He Saw, He couldn’t hack it!” 😮

AHHH Pilot me old fruit …. once again the entertainment is pure quality!

Blah blah blah

poor steve, he dream to live in a great country!!

in fact the effectifs ares 428 000 ! i missed the gendarmes, who follows the troops everywhere!

We are a great country mate – we haven’t been invaded in 100’s of years most recently (tho’ it chokes me to say it) mainly due to the RAF. So what? the food and the beer is merde but I can handle that because I don’t have a problem with the “Wurst Essen volk” invading my country of recent years!

BTW the UK Rocks – even to this day we could just about give any country a run for its money except of course uncle sam.

Sorry Steve Mate – I took the bait this time 😀

Indian1973

Assuming that they replaced Seaking with Merlin 1:1 then there has to be at least 44. Given that a portion of these will be required for Attrition/Spares for The HC4’s and ASiC 7’s then i would assume there would be plenty to spare for the IN. However I think there are more SK’s than 44.

Try landing eurofighter on a carrier tho????

Agreed Phil!

Even if only 1/10th of the cuts being reported by the Daily Telegraph come to fruition then we’ll be in unworkable situation. I wonder how the hell they’re getting away with it. It’s really common sense – DONT CUT YOUR FORCES WHEN THEY ARE ACTIVELY FIGHTING WARS AND KEEPING PEACE.
I can only conclude that Mr Hoon has surrounded himself with a bunch of Yes-men from the MoD – What an easy job he must have. I beleive he is also militarily Ignorant – I think that is a fundimental problem with the Labour Party – I cant find any credible MP with any Military Background. I dare say the other parties will be in the same boat as the ‘Conscript Brigade’ depart politics to be put out to pasture.

You mean just like the Italian G.91s? The Buccs were scrapped under CFE regulations, and also because the airframes were beat What do you think 30 years of low-level flying, half of which in salty sea air does to an airframe? Not because they were some secret wonder weapon. In fact, it was considered for some time to replace some of the Canberra’s tasks (EW training and such) with Buccs, but the state of those just wasn’t good enough to warrant further investment to use them for another five to ten years.

Arthur,

Some of those airframes were less than 20 years old. I think at least 50 were purchased directly for the RAF (They’d managed to trash a lot of the Ex- FAA ones) However I digress… the point is that if this A/C was put back on the production line with a modern avionics and weapons fit. then I reckon it would give any other modern strike A/C a run for its money. As a matter of interest the RAF were offered a Lengthened ‘Thin Wing’ version of the bucc in lieu of TSR2 (I believe even 1 of the options was a 4 engined variant – Scary!) I’m sure my old man (Ex FAA Bucc Maintainer) has a drawing of this somewhere, i’ll try and get a scan of it.

Awwww…. I dont know guys, Natoinalists can give cause for hilarity. I mean check out some of the Cr@p that The Scottish Nationalist Party comes out with (Look at thier defence policy!)

http://www.snp.org/

And no… i’m not English – I’m Scottish

😀

An Interview with First Sea Lord & Chief of the Naval Staff
Admiral Sir Alan West, with Warships IFR

I’ve never heard an RN Officer Say “Can’t do” until now…

(IFR) What’s your opinion of the so-called ‘air-defence gap’ that will occur with the FA2 being withdrawn in 2006, six years earlier than expected?

(AW) “We come back to balancing the investment in present day resources with finding the funds for increased future capabilities.
As you know the RAF and Navy pilots in Joint Force Harrier will move to the GR9, which gives us an enhanced power projection capability but is not a dedicated air-defence fighter. In a perfect world I would love to have the resources to do the modifications that will get the FA2 to 2012. But, we will hopefully have the Type 45 from 2007 and there will be some capability in the GR9, which will help close the air-defence gap. They will be palliatives for the risk factor. You need a lot of Type 45s to give the same coverage as a naval air-defence fighter. However, I am sure it is the right decision despite the risk.”

(IFR) But what will happen if there is another Falklands-style situation, where the Royal Navy finds itself having to fight a war far from the nearest land-based UK fighters, and without the US Navy to fill in the gaps?

(AW) “If we had to do an operation without the US Navy in that risk period, and without shore-based air cover from the RAF, I may have to tell the Government of the day that the RN cannot do it.”