Falkland Islands Tension increase

[Tony]

Why would anyone need to sneak anywhere? There's a fleet of them at Cottesmore that are just a day away.

 

Seriously, the Argentinian Air Force couldn't take the skin off a rice pudding with the remaining ancient junk that wasn't shot down last time.

[Cyclone]

That might have made more sense if you'd read before writing Here you go.

I was replying as I read through, your first reply was one where you chose not to defend the comments you'd made in the pass and just made a wisecrack instead.

 

 

 

No they didn't. The Americans bought GR9's and their inventory, mainly as a cheap way to acquire spares to keep their own fleet running.

"We're taking advantage of all the money the Brits have spent on them," he told the US newspaper Navy Times.

 

"It's like we're buying a car with maybe 15,000 miles on it. These are very good platforms. And we've already got trained pilots."

The Harrier’s retirement, which came at the same time as the Navy’s flagship aircraft carrier Ark Royal was axed, was heavily criticised by several senior military figures, while dozens of pilots were left without planes to fly.

 

 

I don't think you realise that RAF Mount Pleasant is a fully formed military air base with a few thousand personnel. They could mount an entire war on the Argentinian mainland from there. Those four permanent typhoons can carry thirty tonnes of ordnance between them. The rest of the RAF and the Army is just a day's flying time away.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RAF_Mount_Pleasant

One to Two thousand personel, most of whom will be support staff.

 

In addition, the single submarine that's permanently stationed in the S Atlantic is capable of surgically removing any air strike capability before it gets off the ground.

Assuming it has some warning.

The updated Rapier units on the island would see off the single asthmatic forty year old Mirage that wheezed its way through the waves at 250kts if it somehow didn't shake itself to bits before it got there.

They are expecting to replace some of those older Mirages with newer variants in 2012.

 

Who needs aircraft carriers? Not us.

 

You'd base your entire defence strategy on not loosing and having to retake territory then, rather than a multi layered approach of trying not to loose it, but being capable of retaking it if you did.

[Tony]

Your thinking is 20 years out of date. Capital ships had their day, but just like the Dreadnaughts, the UK just doesn't need them any more.

 

We certainly shouldn't be spending money on things that we don't need just to keep up appearances that flatter Argentinian domestic policy. Argentina is a democracy now, not a junta. Democracy's don't make wars that they can't win.

[Cyclone]

Why would anyone need to sneak anywhere? There's a fleet of them at Cottesmore that are just a day away.

 

Seriously, the Argentinian Air Force couldn't take the skin off a rice pudding with the remaining ancient junk that wasn't shot down last time.

 

A day away in the UK might as well be on the moon.

To fly sorties in Libya they had to max out their operational range from an Italian airbase and achieved very little.

 

And I hadn't suggested that the Argentinian air force would fight in the air and win, I suggested that they'd (the Argentinians) would capture the air base and not have to fight in the air. They can then sink any relief force with BVR hypersonic missiles launched from their ageing planes.

[Cyclone]

Your thinking is 20 years out of date. Capital ships had their day, but just like the Dreadnaughts, the UK just doesn't need them any more.

 

We certainly shouldn't be spending money on things that we don't need just to keep up appearances that flatter Argentinian domestic policy. Argentina is a democracy now, not a junta. Democracy's don't make wars that they can't win.

 

No other sea faring nation seems to have reached that conclusion. What makes us unique?

[Agent Orange]

I was replying as I read through, your first reply was one where you chose not to defend the comments you'd made in the pass and just made a wisecrack instead.

 

 

 

 

I don't think you realise that RAF Mount Pleasant is a fully formed military air base with a few thousand personnel. They could mount an entire war on the Argentinian mainland from there. Those four permanent typhoons can carry thirty tonnes of ordnance between them. The rest of the RAF and the Army is just a day's flying time away.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RAF_Mount_Pleasant

One to Two thousand personel, most of whom will be support staff.

Assuming it has some warning.

They are expecting to replace some of those older Mirages with newer variants in 2012.

 

You'd base your entire defence strategy on not loosing and having to retake territory then, rather than a multi layered approach of trying not to loose it, but being capable of retaking it if you did.

 

 

Argentina does not have the capability to invade. It would be suicide for them to even try. As already stated, their air force and navy are running ancient military hardware, which is no match against our current forces.

[Agent Orange]

A day away in the UK might as well be on the moon.

To fly sorties in Libya they had to max out their operational range from an Italian airbase and achieved very little.

 

And I hadn't suggested that the Argentinian air force would fight in the air and win, I suggested that they'd (the Argentinians) would capture the air base and not have to fight in the air. They can then sink any relief force with BVR hypersonic missiles launched from their ageing planes.

 

And how do they capture an air base? No one in their right mind would send in ground forces when they do not have air supremecy.

[MrMoran]

Argentina does not have the capability to invade. It would be suicide for them to even try. As already stated, their air force and navy are running ancient military hardware, which is no match against our current forces.

 

Give it a few years though and after the tories have finnished with our armed forces the Falklands will be ripe for the picking.

[Tony]

A day away in the UK might as well be on the moon.

To fly sorties in Libya they had to max out their operational range from an Italian airbase and achieved very little.

 

Aside from the complete elimination of the entire Libyan Air Force within it's own borders.

 

(Incidentally, Libya had a much more modern AF than Argentina has)

 

And I hadn't suggested that the Argentinian air force would fight in the air and win, I suggested that they'd (the Argentinians) would capture the air base and not have to fight in the air. They can then sink any relief force with BVR hypersonic missiles launched from their ageing planes.

Hehe, I do admire your optimism on their behalf

[Tony]

No other sea faring nation seems to have reached that conclusion. What makes us unique?

Aside from the fact that a/c carriers are a genuine rarity around the world in any navy (even the Russian's don't have any) you should be asking what makes us so realistic.

 

The answer to that is in the bank account.