Falkland Islands Tension increase

[MrSmith]

You are working on the assumption that both opposing air force and navy can get within striking distance of the Falklands without being detected. If patrols are routine, an invasion force would be seen long before it could reach the islands.

4 RAF Typhoons could easily out class and stay in the air longer than any opposing plane, bearing in mind the RAF wouldn't have to fly too far from their base to intercept any aircraft. As long as the opposing air force is dealt with, any invasion would be a disaster.

 

We don't need to see them we knew the invasion in 1982 was starting before they left Argentina but there was little we could about it other than warn the Falkland’s governor. This time we can stop it before it starts, which it won’t.

[Cyclone]

This is a bit of a struggle Cyclone, it's not like you.

 

It's a thousand miles from Argentina. A Typhoon's range, or any other RAF front line aircraft for that matter is determined only by the red pills and blue pills the pilots take.

 

Do you think that your 5000 Argentinian troops could train, assemble, set sail, avoid being sunk, and disebmark and land without anyone noticing, before a couple of squadrons of air cover arrived, or a fleet of RAF VC10's and Airbus's full of troops?

I think we can safely assume that they are already trained, and that they assemble in various numbers at various times without causing the UK government to scramble troop transports.

Whether they could embark and arrive before support could arrive is the key question.

300 miles is about 10 hours of steaming. Assuming that we had troop transports and troops ready to go, it'd be tight getting them on the ground, particularly with 12 Mirages over head and only 4 eurofighters to protect the transports.

 

But anyway, none of this is even remotely possible for all sorts of geopolitical reasons, but not least because Argentinian politicians would be hanging from lamp posts before sending thousands of young men to their deaths.

That's the gamble we're taking isn't it. I assume that when it was invaded the first time it came as something of a surprise and that someone had probably said it wouldn't happen.

[Cyclone]

:hihi: Do you honestly believe our government and military publishes its defensive capabilities on Wikipedia.

 

Do you honestly believe that they can hide fighter planes on a small island, or that the number of troops is vastly different to what is published?

[Phanerothyme]

It's 300 miles from the Argentinian mainland.

 

The eurofighers would outclass the argentinian airforce, but would they be sufficient without support to stop an invasion fleet that had destroyer support (with AA capability) whilst outnumbered by inferior planes?

The Argentian air force is expecting to take delivery of 12 Mirage F-1EJ in 2012.

 

The Mirage F-1 was nice when it was first revealed in the sixties.

 

Don't see it posing much threat to anything apart from noise abatement orders nowadays though.

 

Seeing as they don't make them anymore, Argentina must be buying them from an existing customer - probably in the middle east where they proved popular. The Israelis didn't bother paying of course, and just stole the blueprints.

[MrSmith]

Do you honestly believe that they can hide fighter planes on a small island, or that the number of troops is vastly different to what is published?

 

We aren’t just talking about four fighters though; they make up a very small part of the defensive capabilities. Landing amphibious craft last time would have been easy for the Argantinians, this time they won’t get close to shore.

[Phanerothyme]

That's the gamble we're taking isn't it. I assume that when it was invaded the first time it came as something of a surprise and that someone had probably said it wouldn't happen.

 

Somebody actually said it would probably happen if the UK withdrew its forces from The Falkland Islands.

 

The UK did anyway.

 

And they duly invaded.

 

Any signs of British force retraction in the South Atlantic, anywhere, at all?

 

No?

 

Keep looking!

[TheGuy]

If war breaks out again in the Falklands between the UK and Argentina it will lead to total slaughter until everyone's dead except Field Marshal Haig, Lady Haig and their tortoise, Alan.

[Cyclone]

The Mirage F-1 was nice when it was first revealed in the sixties.

 

Don't see it posing much threat to anything apart from noise abatement orders nowadays though.

 

Seeing as they don't make them anymore, Argentina must be buying them from an existing customer - probably in the middle east where they proved popular. The Israelis didn't bother paying of course, and just stole the blueprints.

 

From Jordan, hence the EJ suffix I believe. You can still fit modern missiles to it though.

[Harleyman]

If the government see a possible threat of another invasion wouldn't it make sense to start increasing the military presence now. Military installations can be modernized and increased in size and scope to accommodate the increase.

Fighter planes dont necessarily need carriers in this case. They could be shipped disassembled aboard large freight ships and assembled upon arrival. I assume there is an RAF airfield already in existence.

 

The question is though how important does the current UK government see the Falklands as continuing to be British

[buck]

It was, they have newer kit now, although older than our own still.

Vincente was a British built Light Fleet Carrier of the Ocean Class, displacement 13000 tons. We dished out a few of them to Canada, Australia, India, Brazil, Argentina, Holland and trained some crews aboard our own ships.