Sorry Swerve, but Dannatt was CDS when the Army was begging for helos in Afghanistan. The cheapest and easiest solution would have been to buy Blackhawks off the shelf as an Urgent Operational Requirement, but if that had happened:

a) they would have been flown by the RAF, because of their size; and

b) it would have ballsed up the order for Lynx Wildcats (still not in service!), which in turn would have compromised the Army Air Corps.

The government was under big pressure over the poor equipment for our troops in Afghanistan, and if the CDS had said they needed Blackhawks, he’d have got them. So why didn’t he? You have to draw your own conclusions, I doubt he ever signed a memo saying “I have decided I would rather let men die in Afghanistan than risk the future of the Army Air Corps.” Having said that, Dannatt is so damned stupid he just might have done!

My point about Dannatt was prompted by mention of his article in the Telegraph, in which he credited the Army Apaches, but did not mention HMS Ocean. This was not an oversight on his part. He is an Army politician, and rather than support a plan to acquire Blackhawks at the expense of the Army’s Wildcats, he would rather see the Army go without the Blackhawks. Given that sort of mindset, failing to credit the Royal Navy is nothing for a man like him. As I say, the way the press give him credit as some sort of military go-to guy sticks in my craw. He’s nothing special. His judgment is so poor that he allowed himself to be talked into being announced as a Conservative defence adviser whilst he was still employed by the Army, before he had even retired. No great intelligence, just an adept political operator. Every large organisation has people like him, and, sadly, they often claw their way to the top.

Because 2% isn’t enough?

Given the paranoia about “boots on the ground” I very much doubt the Apaches would be based on Libyan soil. But as I said, I doubt the bunch of slime we have in government are keen to emphasise the utility and flexibility of naval based air assets, so we hear endless wibble about the Apaches, and nothing about where they will fly from.

Since they have just killed off the Type 22 fleet to save running costs of about £30 million a year (which is what the RAF are spending every week in Sicily), the chances of getting any new orders are zero, unless we can find a way to charge them to the bloated foreign aid budget.

Were any B52s even built after 1961?

Possibly i was thinking about this too simplistic but in an effort to be a logical person i would of assumed that and expeditionary wing from an airbase in a foreign country would be expensive, but i assumed if you started sailing this airbase around far from supply lines it would become more expensive.

but your arguments have been very persuasive and far more informed than mine so I’m willing to accept your points of view although something still doesn’t sit quite right about it but i don’t have any information to really argue with u so am forced to admit you must be correct 😀

I don’t think you are taking into account the fact that an airbase costs a huge amount to build and operate, and yet cannot move anywhere. RAF Marham would be perfect for this operation, but unfortunately it is stuck in Norfolk, and is not moving, and yet I would not be surprised is it cost much less to build and operate than a carrier.

I have no problem with “Queen Elizabeth”, but I too don’t particularly like “Prince of Wales”. It has a bad connotation after the fate of the last ship. We have never had another “Hood” have we? Thanks to the film “The King’s Speech” King George VI is much in the news at present. He was a Navy veteran of the Battle of Jutland, and our King throughout World War II. Surely he should have one of these capital ships named for him?