Looks like the British Army will have to wait a few more years to get new vehicles. Army forced into retreat over upgrade to ageing armoured vehicle fleet - Times Online There was a photo of the three vehicles on test in the actual newspaper but no on-line.
Well we've got aircraft carriers in building with no planes, an airforce with no Airborne Early Warning so why not an army with no vehicles. Oh sorry we've done that one in Afghanistan. So what we need is a war every 5 years to embarrass the government of the day into providing the equipment we need after losing enough troops to shame then into digging into the exchequer to provide what is required at a greater price than could have been paid. "If you want peace, you must be prepared for war", who sad that? Not a politician! Off the shelf - MOWAG Pirahna V 8 x 8, try it, you'll like it. Available now in any colour scheme, various configerations.
A plan to use the former RAF base at Coltishall, Norfolk, as an immigration detention centre has been dropped because the accommodation is too poor, defence sources have told The Times. There is a lot of good kit available from South Africa, France etc but the Defence procurement seems to mitigate against any contrcat not involving BAE in some form or the other!
Just watched how the Harriers became the strike force in the Falklands, how ships were sunk by Exocets due to no air defence mechanism, Nimrods were faulty and the Shackletons had to soldier on, and the Vulcan Bomber had to fly a round trip of over 7,500 miles from the Ascension Islands, the longest in history, to drop 21 bombs on an airfield. Then how the budget was slashed as the cold war ended in 1989 and before the ink dried, Iraq invaded Kuwait. At the end of the show, they said the RAF would in the future continue with the Harriers GR7 and a new model of Harrier gradually coming into service to support and compliment their offensive and defensive capability. The ending remark was that Britain would continue to look to the RAF to protect them with their fleets of the most up to date aircraft. History it seems, continues to repeat itself.
Humbug! One was enough, wasn't it? IIRC, as the bombs were dropped by radar aiming - no GPS buided back then - they were dropped on a linear pattern at a shallow angle to the runway to ensure that at leat one impact was made. Better 1-hit/20-straddles than 21 beautifully paralell misses. Two beautiful paralell misses here.
And today we have the announcement that many trainee aircrew are to be made redundant as they don't have enough aeroplanes anymore!!!!!!
Humbug! One was enough, wasn't it? IIRC, as the bombs were dropped by radar aiming - no GPS buided back then - they were dropped on a linear pattern at a shallow angle to the runway to ensure that at leat one impact was made. Better 1-hit/20-straddles than 21 beautifully paralell misses. Two beautiful paralell misses here. I think it closed the runway for around 12/24hrs mate.
And today we have the announcement that many trainee aircrew are to be made redundant as they don't have enough aeroplanes anymore!!!!!! That's okay! If anything happens we will get them back.................. And the Poli's will blame the RAF. We told them to cut their budget, they chose where!
I must stay I was a bit surprised about the aircrew cut backs-Some of those poor sods are only a few hours from qualifying after nearly 4 years of training apparently. 'Hello and welcome to Sainsbury's. what can you offer this company-Well I spent the last four years of my life learning how to nearly fly solo in a fast jet'
I must stay I was a bit surprised about the aircrew cut backs-Some of those poor sods are only a few hours from qualifying after nearly 4 years of training apparently. 'Hello and welcome to Sainsbury's. what can you offer this company-Well I spent the last four years of my life learning how to nearly fly solo in a fast jet' That is a disgrace then - Was not aware of that! They should take them to court. Like the boss sacking you the week before your long service leave matures. The public would support them surely!
in 2005 I was Training Officer for an Armoured Ambulance squadron in Hohne, Germany we had a fleet of 12 432's that were built in 1955 - they are still going strong today. The troops refused to visit the local german tank museum, as they had younger vehicles on display than we had on the road
Wow, I seem to have been left behind in the rush to cane the politician - better catch up then! I can't for the life of me see why we are getting rid of an aircraft that is flexible and unique and can do what no other aeroplane can do - get out of the way of missile! The Americans make a bigger Harrier for the USMC and love it. We get rid of the Fleet Air Arm and built two aircraft carriers??????? We make experienced soldiers redundant and continue to fight a war where we have trouble recruiting UK citizens into our forces, yet have to be shamed into supporting Gurkhas. When the British Army was preparing to deploy to Saudi for the first Gulf War I was running around Germany with a team of fitters stripping engines/power packs, tracks, suspension units and gearboxes out of tanks to provide the spares for the only two tank regts (bn for our American viewers) that we could put into the field, thank goodness the Russkies never came! It's all about money and accountants run the MOD. They care nothing for honour, courage, tradition, history - only the bottom line and if they can rub something off their books this year to make a saving next year, then they have achieved the political aim. Never mind that you have to recruit the year after for the shortfalls caused two years ago! That's that.
It's all about money and accountants run the MOD. They care nothing for honour, courage, tradition, history - only the bottom line and if they can rub something off their books this year to make a saving next year, then they have achieved the political aim. Never mind that you have to recruit the year after for the shortfalls caused two years ago! Nothing new there back in the 1970s just before I left the Brits for a move to Africa we couldn't get spare for our new shiny Scorpions - the MOD had sold the stock of spare parts to. . . . . Iran I note in the news today that a new uber-bean counter has been appointed at a higher salary than the prime-Minister to oversee procurement and cuts!
Nothing new there back in the 1970s just before I left the Brits for a move to Africa we couldn't get spare for our new shiny Scorpions - the MOD had sold the stock of spare parts to. . . . . Iran I note in the news today that a new uber-bean counter has been appointed at a higher salary than the prime-Minister to oversee procurement and cuts! strange that - the brits couldnt join in on Gulf 1 as quick as theyd liked to have because someone had sold all the desert uniforms in the mid 80's to Iraq
For GW1 we had to get a final drive for one of our Cent AVRE from a museum as there were none in stock, not the most encouraging thing to do when you are to plough through a minefield. After the war when we got the kit back to germany our TM's were all of the road for nearly 2 years due to needing new hubs, my G10 vehicle waited a year for a fan belt (dues out from trade). We only got the spares in the end as my Regiment was sent on Op Grapple 1.
