Sharkey Ward

[stu]

;D ;D ;D

Priceless

[FlyNavy]

Gives a new meaning to the US Mafia term "going to the mattresses" (hide out in a gang war).

[FlyNavy]

From another Forum thread here is a clue as to the identity of 2 seat USMC Hairier above: "I wonder why they put FOD all over the ground before landing on the nice clean pad. Plenty of folk have managed gear up vertical landings without buggaring up the aircraft quite that much! I wonder what the LSO was doing? Being a Yank jet there was one there for certain!" (Fanks Old Navy)

rnzaf.proboards43.com/index.cgi?board=Aussie&action=display&thread=3706&page=10

[FlyNavy]

Courtesy of crumbliecookie here is da news:

www.airwarriors.com/forum/showthread.php?t=136776

"This comes under the heading "truth is sometimes stranger than fiction".

That is a TAV-8B assigned to VMAT-203 in Cherry Point. They experienced hung landing gear (repeat gripe on that jet) and contacted base for troubleshooting. The EP involves cycling some circuit breakers, cycling the gear, and requesting visual inspection. If none of that works (which it didn't), you blow down the gear.

At some point, the squadron let the MAG CO what was going on (for what reason, I have no idea). He was worried that if they blew the gear down and the nose gear still hung up, it would crack the frame of one of the scarce T-birds. He directed that the pilot do a gear up vertical landing. It would crush the strakes and probably FOD the motor, but it's better than cracking the frame. He directed the mattresses to be placed under the nose.

When the pilot heard about all of this, he refused to do it unless he heard it directly from the MAG CO. The MAG CO got on the radio and told him to do it. The landing was pretty unremarkable, despite the photos. The damage was limited to the engine (Fodded), and the strakes (crushed). Expensive, but not the end of the world. When they jacked it up, they we able to blow the gear down with no problems.

This is when the story gets even weirder. Once the jet was in the hangar, relatively undamaged, an EZ-go golf cart came flying into the hangar and smashed into the jet, causing some D-level repair damage.

It turns out that LCpl. Schmuckatelli was huffing keyboard cleaner before making his parts run in the EZ-go. He got really dizzy, lost consiousness, and the cart went out of control. It drove directly into the hangar at full speed through a gap in the hangar doors and smashed the jet. Like I said, the truth is sometimes stranger than fiction. You couldn't make up something that bizarre.

By the way, the Harrier CAN land on asphalt (or dirt, or grass, etc). It just can't do a vertical landing on anything except concrete, steel, or AM2 matting. It will melt right through it. A Harrier at idle, with the nozzles in the hoverstop (down), will make a nice large pool of molten asphalt on a runway."
___________________

Also but:

forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=2876134&pagenumber=18&perpage=40

"Two things:

1. How exactly was landing on mattreses any better than just using the
emergency gear release?

2. Do you have a BuNo for this bird?

e:3. They followed the advice of someone higher-up vice what the
manual says to do? Was said higher-up even a pilot? Did he get demoted
for this?

1. It wasn't. The best part was, when they jacked the plane up in the
hangar and pulled the gear handle to blow them down, all 4 came down
and locked in place.

2. No, sorry. I searched the Navy and MC BuNo site I know of
(http://home.att.net/~jbaugher/navyserials.html) and couldn't find it.
It's a VMAT-203 bird and the incident occurred maybe a year and a half
ago. It wasn't stricken for that incident, but while it was on jacks,
a tug was crashed into it and 'totaled' it. I know both the guys who
were flying it that day, so maybe I'll ask them.

3. NATOPS (think of it as the plane's operating manual) says to blow
the gear down. The pilot (an experienced FRS instructor pilot) refused
to follow the ridiculous advice of the then-MAG CO (also a Harrier
pilot) unless he specifically got on the radio and ordered him to do
so. He did, so ya... I don't think there was any real fallout, but the
Col is now retire."

[FlyNavy]

This is what Sharkey Ward is on about by the way (end of distinct air forces): (according to earlier FlyCookie e-mail report)

Not dated but likely around 2002-3 (before 2 LHDs were bought for RAN)

www.navalofficer.com.au/f35.html

"In the same press conference Air Marshall Houston, Chief of the Air Force, said that interoperability "has to be a very, very important factor for us…" If this is true, then this could be important for the RAN. "Interoperability" opens up possibilities for beefing up the RAN's Fleet Defence role, by RAN or RAAF F-35s operating from a USMC-like landing ship platform, or even a new RAN aircraft carrier. Then again, the RAAF might not be keen to explore this kind of "interoperability".
&
"RAN interest
Particularly attractive, from an RAN point of view, is the fact that there is one F-35 version with a STOVL capability. Whether the RAAF would ever support the purchase of such an aeroplane for the RAN or Army is another argument.

Then again, perhaps another option is to look well ahead to the cheaper unmanned aircraft family advocated by Boeing. This, together with the way modern conflict is shaping and strong civilian preferences for "jointness", has the potential to sound the death knell for Air Forces, including the RAAF, as separate independent services."

[flycookie]

For the train plane spotters out there, here are some pics of an FA2 of 800 Naval Air Squadron, RN, in its end-of-service fancypants paint work.





This is how the mud-mover harriers in the current joint unit mark-up aircraft as being 'navy' with an 800 NAS heritage. Artwork is on the engine intake cowling, slightly abaft where the '122' is in the pic.


Just sticking this one here for FlyNavy to admire, for obvious reasons.


And this birdie, giving someone a nasty looking fist for no known reason.

[FlyNavy]

[FlyNavy]

2 Wards of Sharkey explain rationale for Olympic Sized Swimming Pools in New RN Carriers in Utube UK comedic video:

[FlyNavy]

My hope is that the terrorists and/or bad guys take a hit from the financial crisis also. Maybe the lower oil prices will do that. Anyway the Brit Bean Counter response is so predictable. Maybe all the risk taking bankers should get their jollies now in a forward command bunker somewhere where that line in the sand exists.

www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard/article-23572525-details/New+fighter+force+at+risk+in+defence+cutbacks/article.do

New fighter force at risk in defence cutbacks Robert Fox, Defence Correspondent

THE Government is to announce massive cuts in defence spending in the wake of the global economic crisis, insiders revealed today.

Sources claim that a severe round of cuts on major programmes is expected within months as it tries to plug a £1.5billion shortfall in the defence budget. The revelation comes ahead of a major two-day conference on defence procurement at the Queen Elizabeth Conference Centre, in Westminster, starting today.

John Hutton, the new Defence Secretary, has been told he must adopt a more realistic budget and warned he cannot put off a major defence and security review until after the next election. "The budget is bust, and the cupboard bare," said Professor Gwyn Prins, a strategic analyst at the LSE. "Something has to give."

Experts warn the purchases most at risk surround two 65,000-tonne aircraft carriers, the Prince of Wales and Queen Elizabeth II, costing around £4 billion, which are due to be completed by 2014 and 2016. Funding for the carriers is secure but Britain is considering pulling out of a £9 billion project with America to produce new fighter planes, which will fly off the carriers.

Britain has ordered 150 of the Lockheed Martin F-35 joint strike fighter planes but experts warn that long delays on the project and soaring costs could scupper the deal."

[FlyNavy]

Analysis: Reducing F-35 purchase could save UK up to USD5.8bn By Craig Caffrey 31 October 2008

www.janes.com/news/defence/business/jdi/jdi081031_1_n.shtml

As the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) struggles to cope with the budgetary pressures of conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan and a massive equipment modernisation process, major cuts in one or more programmes appear to Jane's to be inevitable.

The global financial crisis and the UK's subsequent response in October (including the multi-billion pound buttressing of the banking system and a commitment to increase public spending to offset recession) has since added to the strain felt by the Treasury. Lingering hopes that extra funding would be made available to supplement the defence budget in the short to medium term appear to have been dashed.

Despite already scaling back programmes such as the UK Royal Navy's (RN's) Type 45 destroyer (which has dropped from an initial requirement of 12 ships to six at present) and the UK Royal Air Force's (RAF's) Nimrod MRA.4 maritime patrol aircraft (the originally envisaged 21-aircraft order has since dropped to 12), further cuts are expected to be announced in order to address the deficit in the defence budget.

Speculation over which projects are most at risk is continuing. Jane's Defence Forecasts believes that one programme that could see drastic cuts is the Joint Combat Aircraft (JCA) programme through which the RAF and RN intend to acquire the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II multirole fighter.

According to the MoD, the UK's current planning assumption is to purchase up to 150 short take-off vertical landing (STOVL) aircraft.

Jane's believes this total is likely to be reduced down to around 85-100 aircraft when the production contract is finalised, creating savings of at least USD4.5 billion (GBP2.7 billion) to USD5.8 billion in acquisition costs alone.

The potential for cutting the programme stems from the fact that JCA is the only high-profile, high-cost project that the MoD could scale back significantly without detrimentally affecting the capabilities of the UK's armed forces in future.

A reduction in the number of F-35s procured to as few as 85 aircraft would allow the RAF to maintain its current fast jet combat aircraft inventory levels while at the same time increasing the capability and flexibility of the force.

[FlyNavy]

AND anuvver fing Mr. Sharkey - take this:
From The Sunday TimesDecember 7, 2008
www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article5298898.ece
Head of Royal Navy threatens resignation over push to scrap Harriers Michael Smith

THE RAF is trying to use a major cash crisis within the Ministry of Defence to get rid of the Fleet Air Arm, defence sources said last week.

Its campaign, which is being fought under the slogan “one nation, one air force”, has led to the head of the Royal Navy, First Sea Lord Admiral Sir Jonathon Band threatening to resign.

Air Marshal Sir Glenn Torpy, chief of air staff, is attempting to push through proposals to scrap the 75 Harrier jump jets currently shared between the navy and the air force.

Torpy believes that the lack of a carrier-borne attack aircraft until the first of the new aircraft carriers comes into service, now 2015 at the earliest, will not be a problem.

He argues that with the main focus of UK military operations for the next decade likely to be land-locked Afghanistan, there is no current need for carrier-borne aircraft.

When the new carriers come into service the RAF can fly the Joint Strike Fighters that are currently due to fly off them.

Scrapping the Harriers five years early in 2013 is seen as a relatively painless way of saving £1bn, the cost of keeping the aircraft flying.

The £1bn is what the National Audit Office says will be the cost of two Harrier support contracts, one with BAE Systems and the other with engine supplier Rolls Royce.

It is the only aircraft support contract that has yet to be signed so the MoD could decide not to go ahead with it without incurring penalty clauses.

Getting rid of the Harriers will also lead to the closure of the Joint Harrier Force base at RAF Cottesmore in Rutland, adding to the cost savings.

Torpy is thought to have the support of Air Marshal Jock Stirrup, the chief of defence staff, for the measure which is set to lead to a major clash between the RAF and the navy.

But senior naval sources said last week that Band will resign if the RAF proposals are pushed through. "He's had enough," one said. "The navy has been cut and cut and cut again to get the carriers."

The conflict comes amid what the sources said was the worst inter-service fighting since Labour’s notorious “east of Suez” defence cuts of the mid-1960s.

Band is furious that the navy is taking the brunt of the cutbacks caused by a £2bn black hole in the defence budget, the sources said.

John Hutton, defence secretary, will announce this week that the navy’s cherished two aircraft carriers will be delayed by up to two years.

The navy agreed to a string of cuts to its ship numbers to keep the carriers and is now facing not only the loss of all its fixed-wing aircraft but also major cuts to its submarine force.

One of a number of options designed to save money involves the accelerated retirement of the navy’s current Trafalgar-class attack submarines and delays to the Astute replacements.

This would leave the navy with only four attack submarines for the five years between 2020 and 2025, compared to the current eight.

It has also been told its new frigates, known as the future surface combatants, have been indefinitely postponed and plans to get rid of aging Type-22 frigates have been scrapped.

Hutton has told the defence chiefs that they must come up with a final plan to save the £2bn shortfall by a meeting of the defence board on Friday December 19.

The Ministry of Defence declined to comment on the issue ahead of Hutton’s anticipated announcement this week.

[FlyNavy]

www.flightglobal.com/articles/2008/12/08/319734/qinetiq-led-team-demonstrates-carrier-landing-system-for.html

Qinetiq-led team demonstrates carrier landing system for JSF DATE:08/12/08 SOURCE:Flight International

A Qinetiq-led trial has demonstrated a new stabilised visual landing aid concept on board the UK Royal Navy's aircraft carrier HMS Illustrious, with the work forming part of a de-risking study into the use of a shipborne rolling vertical landing (SRVL) manoeuvre for Lockheed Martin's short take-off and vertical landing F-35B Joint Strike Fighter with the service's two future CVF vessels.

Qinetiq's two-seat VAAC Harrier testbed flew multiple approaches to a demonstration deck lighting array mounted on the ship, with a total of 66 sorties flown over a week-long period in November and successful approaches made in conditions up to Sea State 6.

An SRVL involves a STOVL aircraft executing a "running landing" along a carrier's axial flight deck, using air speed to provide wingborne lift to complement engine thrust. The touchdown position is similar to that of a conventional carrier, but with no arrestor gear used and the aircraft using its brakes to stop. The technique offers significant additional payload "bring back" for the F-35B, and the potential to extend engine life through reduced wear and tear.

The UK Ministry of Defence has funded research to refine and de-risk the use of the SRVL concept by the F-35B, the preferred choice for its Joint Combat Aircraft replacement for the BAE Systems Harrier GR9/9A. Previous work, including flight trials of the VAAC Harrier on board the French navy aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle last year, has established the fundamental safety and operational benefit of the technique.

For the latest trial, a demonstration visual landing aid dubbed a "Bedford array" was installed in the port catwalk adjacent to Illustrious's flight deck. Taking inputs from inertial references to stabilise against deck motions, this is combined with a ship-referenced velocity vector in a helmet-mounted display to enable a pilot to fly an accurate approach to the deck on a constant glidepath. A second lighting array was rigged on the carrier's flight deck, and was used during a parallel evaluation of its visual acuity.

The VAAC Harrier flew representative approach profiles down to a safety height of around 40ft (12m) above the deck, and according to the Royal Navy, such was the accuracy of the array that a non-aircrew member of the embarked trials team was able to fly a perfect approach from the rear seat position of the trials aircraft while the safety pilot forward remained hands off.

The trial may prove to be the last research tasking for the VAAC Harrier testbed, with the 39-year-old aircraft (above) expected to be retired from use in early 2009.

www.flightglobal.com/assets/getasset.aspx?ItemID=26445

[FlyNavy]

"...a non-aircrew member of the embarked trials team was able to fly a perfect approach from the rear seat position of the trials aircraft..." NB: special arrangements made for the RAF QFI in back. ;D

[FlyNavy]

UK prepares for carrier operations with JSF By Craig Hoyle

www.flightglobal.com/articles/2008/11/24/319189/uk-prepares-for-carrier-operations-with-jsf.html

The UK is making significant advances in its preparations for carrierborne operations with the Lockheed Martin F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, and expects to sign a contract by late February to acquire three aircraft to support test and evaluation of the type.

Partners to the US-led JSF project have until 28 February to commit funds to buy aircraft for use by a joint test team during initial operational test and evaluation (IOT&E) activities, with the Netherlands and the UK expected to acquire low-rate initial production examples.

The UK government is due to make a decision on its IOT&E investment before year-end, and should sign for its three aircraft (F-35A model pictured below, aboard HMS Illustrious) in January, say senior military officials.

Describing test and evaluation of the short take-off and vertical landing F-35B, the UK's selection for its Joint Combat Aircraft (JCA) requirement, as "a key stepping stone", Rear Adm Simon Charlier, the Royal Navy's chief of staff for aviation, says the aircraft is the only candidate capable of meeting UK requirements.

"We want a fifth-generation aircraft it would be foolish to spend our money on anything else," says Charlier. "There isn't any other product on the market that can deliver within the parameters that we want." Key attributes include the aircraft's stealth performance and its integral intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition and reconnaissance capabilities, he adds.

"We have laid out a set of parameters and requirements. The aircraft at the moment is meeting those, and is on time," says Charlier. "While it continues on track we will continue to be committed to it."

To be assigned to Royal Air Force and RN squadrons as a replacement for the BAE Systems Harrier GR9/9A, the JCA will provide the strike force for the navy's two future aircraft carriers (CVF), the first steel for which will be cut in early 2009. With a displacement of 65,000t, each CVF vessel will be capable of deploying an air wing of up to 40 aircraft, including 36 JCA.

Eurofighter programme officials have recently hinted at possible UK interest in a marinised variant of the RAF's Typhoon multirole strike aircraft, but Air Cdre Mark Green, JCA team leader for the UK Defence Equipment and Support organisation, notes: "We know how to do STOVL operations in the UK." However, he adds that the UK's commitment to the F-35B "will not be set in stone until we buy fleet aircraft".

Preparations for UK operations of the CVF/JCA combination are moving fast, with the RN's 22,500t carrier HMS Illustrious now hosting advanced trials of Qinetiq's VAAC Harrier testbed. The aircraft is testing a shipborne rolling vertical landing technique, being considered by the UK to boost the bring-back capabilities of its F-35Bs. This work, conducted in addition to extensive simulator-based trials, is expected to report around March 2009.

Synthetic-based exercises using data for the CVF are also continuing at BVT Surface Fleet's Maritime Integration Support Centre (MISC) in Portsmouth, Hampshire, with these intended to prove future concepts of operation and de-risk carrier design activities. The vessels - the HMS Queen Elizabeth and HMS Prince of Wales - will enter service in 2014 and 2016, respectively.

An 11-day visualisation and experimentation exercise concluded at the MISC on 13 November. This tested the CVF's ability to sustain JCA operations in a simulated campaign to prevent conflict between two rival nations. Between eight and 12 aircraft sorties were performed each day, using real F-35 programme software. Smaller-scale events have been conducted since mid-2005.

The MISC housed a representative flying control room (below) to manage the movement of aircraft, with additional elements including air traffic control. Some 23 uniformed personnel supported the exercise, along with up to 60 engineers from BAE Systems Insyte, Qinetiq and over 20 small and medium-sized enterprises.

"We need to get people in front of the equipment that they will actually use to see how that information flows around," says Cdr Simon Petitt, carrier mission system lead for the Ministry of Defence. "We can de-risk applications by trialling early, and the concept of operations is maturing," he adds.

"Our goal was to validate the CVF's ability to support JCA operations," says Peter Craig, mission system visualisation experimentation lead for the Aircraft Carrier Alliance. While a full analysis will take several months, he comments: "The objectives we set ourselves have been achieved."

Continued work at the MISC next year will include increased emphasis on mission preparation and planning activities, says Petitt. This will include assessing bandwidth requirements for retrieving ISTAR and logistics data from an F-35B before it returns from a sortie. "The key is to get the information from the aircraft, and at a time of high workload for the pilot," he says."

BUT there is always a BUT in Britain:

www.flightglobal.com/articles/2008/12/12/320049/uk-cuts-future-lynx-deal-delays-new-carriers.html

"...delayed the availability of its two Future Aircraft Carriers (CVF), but has deferred any more drastic budget decisions until next March.

Defence secretary John Hutton says the decision to delay the in-service dates of the Royal Navy's 65,000t CVF was made because "there is scope for bringing more closely into line the introduction of the Joint Combat Aircraft and the aircraft carrier". Lockheed Martin's F-35B Joint Strike Fighter is the UK's favoured candidate for the JCA requirement."

[FlyNavy]

www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/defence/4448256/Harrier-dispute-between-Navy-and-RAF-chiefs-sees-Army-marriage-counsellor-called-in.html

Harrier dispute between Navy and RAF chiefs sees Army 'marriage counsellor' called in

"Harrier dispute between Navy and RAF chiefs sees Army 'marriage counsellor' called in
The Defence Secretary John Hutton has been forced to call in an Army general to act as a “marriage counsellor” to resolve a bitter dispute between the heads of the Royal Navy and RAF over the future of the Harrier jump jet.

The relationship between the First Sea Lord, Sir Jonathon Band, and the Chief of the Air Staff, Sir Glenn Torpy has become “poisonous” due to a disagreement over the aircraft that is jointly run by both services.

Frustrated at the lack of compromise between the two military leaders, Major General Paul Newton, an Army officer with no flying background, has been appointed to resolve the dispute.

Air Marshal Torpy suggested that the Ministry of Defence could save £1 billion if the Harrier was phased out of service within the next five years with the closure of Joint Force Harrier with its 50 Navy and RAF pilots.

This would have signalled the end of the Royal Navy’s Fleet Air Arm, regarded as the most professional of all air forces, despite the two new aircraft carriers entering service by the end of the next decade.

Admiral Band was incensed by the proposal, which would have meant there would be no Navy pilots to fly off the carriers, and threatened to resign.

But Air Marshal Torpy is thought to have the backing of the Chief of the Defence Staff Sir Jock Stirrup, who was also an RAF pilot.

“Relations between Torpy and Band have become very bitter and very poisonous,” claims a defence source. “General Newton is being used as a marriage counsellor to ensure that the rowing does not become public.”

Major Gen Newton, Director of Development, Concepts and Doctrine in the MOD, is expected to agree with the Navy that a small force of sea-going pilots is vital to Britain’s interests if it wants to project power abroad when he presents his report to a meeting of MoD chiefs today (weds).

There is a suggestion now that Air Marshal Torpy will resign if the Navy wins the bitter turf war, according to Whitehall sources.

The Naval Strike Force will probably become the main Harrier force preparing pilots to fly the ‘fifth generation’ Joint Strike Fighter made in America.

The sticking point for the RAF is that only half of the 150 British JSF are likely now to be ordered with the Navy getting the majority. This would mean the RAF would struggle to get a full replacement for fourth generation Eurofighter Typhoon leaving them without a cutting edge aircraft

A senior Army officer described the dispute as “a bunch of overgrown school boys arguing over who gets to play on a new toy”.

The internecine battles being fought between the Services over a limited defence budget are said to be at the most bitter since the “east of Suez” defence cuts of the Sixties.

The RAF argues that with Afghanistan land-locked and the new carriers not coming into service until at least 2016 there is no current need to have carrier-borne fighters. Once the ships become operational, the RAF would be able to fly off them.

The savings would come through the maintenance contract that has yet to be signed with BAE Systems and by closing RAF Cottesmore when the Harrier force is based.

An MoD spokesman said: “The First Sea Lord and Chief of the Air Staff are committed to working together for the benefit of the Armed Forces and will continue to do so in the future.”“During any planning round a number of options are considered to ensure our spending plans are matching our priorities and delivering value for money. But we do not provide a running commentary on this process. At this stage no decisions have been made.”

[FlyNavy]

SHARKEY GETS A GUERNSEY AT LAST! Go the SHARK:

Sea Harrier cuts leave the fleet exposed The decision to retire the decisive weapon of the Falklands conflict means the Navy will have to rely on America for air support David Graves reports

Last Updated: 11:24PM BST 01 Apr 2002

TWENTY years ago today, Argentine troops invaded the Falklands. Within days, a Royal Navy taskforce, beset by threats of cutbacks, set sail to liberate the islands.

Now, there are acute fears that similar debilitating cuts are again to be inflicted on the Navy after the decision to axe the Fleet Air Arm's Sea Harriers, which provide air defence for the fleet.

From 2006, the Navy could not unilaterally deploy a taskforce until at least 2012. During those six years - and longer if the introduction of the new Anglo-American Joint Strike Fighter [JSF] is delayed - no British armada could survive in the face of an air threat unless accompanied by an American carrier.

There are worries that the decision to axe the Sea Harriers because of cuts, announced by the Government on Feb 28, will send out the same signals to foreign governments as the 1981 Defence Review, which encouraged the Argentine junta to invade the Falklands.

Some defence analysts say that Argentina, facing its worst financial crisis since the 1982 invasion, could attempt to re-invade the Falklands, although the civilian government in Buenos Aires has pledged never to use force again.

The analysts warn that the Argentine Navy has been practising attack manoeuvres and its air force has bought many more of the Exocet missiles that were used against the Navy to devastating effect in 1982.

After 2006, the Navy would be unable to intervene to protect the islands without US assistance, if Argentina mounted another invasion.

There are fears in the Fleet Air Arm that slow ground-attack aircraft, such as the GR7 and GR9 Harriers, carrying weapons systems designed for low delivery over the target, are too vulnerable to ground fire.

In the Falklands, the Sea Harriers, which were designed as a limited- capability fighter to protect warships from air attack, accounted for 80 per cent of Argentine air losses.

Their radar also deterred many further raids, causing Argentine aircraft to turn away and return to the mainland.

United States Air Force sources say that as many as 453 Argentine bombing sorties were aborted because of the Sea Harriers' presence. Many 1,800lb bombs were jettisoned early.

There is additional concern that the decision to remove the Sea Harriers could presage a "back-door" change to the Government's 2001 Defence Policy statement, which emphasised the need for a joint taskforce capable of operations around the world.

Sea Harriers also participated in the Gulf war, the Balkans and Sierra Leone in 2000, where they carried out all the day and night armed reconnaissance missions. In Sierra Leone, Fleet Air Arm sources say that the RAF GR7, which was embarked on Illustrious, was not allowed to operate because of problems with its cannon and radar.

The latest, updated Sea Harrier FA-2 version, introduced in 1993, is regarded as the most effective interceptor available to the UK until the European Fighter Aircraft (EFA) enters squadron service in the RAF. However, even then EFA cannot provide effective fleet air defence much beyond 200 miles from a main air base on land.

The FA-2 version was intended to stay in service until the Joint Strike Fighter was introduced, along with two new aircraft carriers.

However, the Ministry of Defence does not have the funds to carry out the technical improvements necessary for its engine to operate in the hottest tropical climates, although it performed well off Sierra Leone.

In its cost-cutting shake-up, the MoD plans to absorb the 200-plus crew and support staff of the existing three squadrons of Sea Harriers, one of which is used for training, into a joint Harrier strike force formed with the RAF, with the air force in effective control and consisting only of Harrier GR9s.

At present, Harrier formations deployed on the Navy's three carriers normally consist of a combination of Sea Harriers, primarily for air defence, and RAF GR7 Harriers for ground attacks.

From 2006, however, until the new fighter comes into service, only GR7 and upgraded GR9 Harriers will be deployed. Senior members of the Fleet Air Arm maintained that they would have markedly inferior weapons systems to the Sea Harrier and are of use only for air defence at short range and in daylight.

Commander "Sharkey" Ward, who led 801 Naval Air Squadron on Invincible in the Falklands, flying more than 60 missions, and who became Air Warfare and Air Weapons adviser to the MoD Naval Staff, said the loss of the Sea Harriers would also coincide with a gap in service between the current Type 42 air defence destroyers and the new Type 45 destroyers, which provide second-layer missile defence.

The first Type 45 is not due to enter service until 2007 and only three will be in service by 2010. Even then, there are fears that they would be unable to protect the fleet from air strikes from beyond a 20-mile radar horizon.

Cdr Ward said: "The Harrier GR7 and GR9 will not have any form of air-to-air radar and will be fitted with a short-range, fire and forget, air-to-air missile.

"All Harrier versions are very slow compared with other fast jet attack/fighters. The GR9 will therefore be unable to get close to an attacking aircraft in order to engage it and will be unable to escape from any fast jet fighter seeking to attack them.

"With their lack of radar and without a beyond-visual-range weapon system, they will also be unable to provide the fleet with a first line of air defence beyond the radar horizon of the screening ships. On present plans, the fleet will be without its first two layers of air defence for possibly at least 10 years."

www.telegraph.co.uk/news/1389438/Sea-Harrier-cuts-leave-the-fleet-exposed-The-decision-to-retire-the-decisive-weapon-of-the-Falklands-conflict-means-the-Navy-will-have-to-rely-on-America-for-air-support.-David-Graves-reports.html

[FlyNavy]

Sound And Fury Posted by Bill Sweetman at 2/6/2009 7:00 AM CST

www.aviationweek.com/aw/blogs/defense/index.jsp?plckController=Blog&plckScript=blogScript&plckElementId=blogDest&plckBlogPage=BlogViewPost&plckPostId=Blog%3a27ec4a53-dcc8-42d0-bd3a-01329aef79a7Post%3a10b9b197-1adb-4c5d-bc8e-06b26d499cd0&plckCommentSortOrder=TimeStampAscending

Ever since Sir Arthur Harris, WW2 leader of RAF Bomber Command and a keen yachtsman, remarked that the three least useful things on a boat were an umbrella, a wheelbarrow and a Naval officer, relationships between the two services have been frosty.

But they have seldom hit the point described in the Daily Telegraph yesterday, with UK Defense Secretary John Hutton reportedly appointing an Army officer to mediate between RAF chief of staff Sir Glenn Torpy and his RN opposite number, First Sea Lord Sir Jonathon Band.

At issue: Torpy's plan to save scarce money through the early retirement of Joint Force Harrier, which currently operates some 70 Harrier GR7s and GR9s - the latest versions of the first and (currently) only operational short take-off, vertical landing fighter - in a mixed RAF/Fleet Air Arm operation that flies from land bases and the Navy's Invincible-class carriers.

Unlike last time, the MoD can no longer be bothered to deny that the dispute exists:

During any planning round a number of options are considered to ensure our spending plans are matching our priorities and delivering value for money. But we do not provide a running commentary on this process. At this stage no decisions have been made.

Thank you, Sir Humphrey.

The Telegraph paints it as merely a turf fight, but it's not. The fact is that JFH is returning from a five-year deployment to Afghanistan - where it has been very effective - and now needs to regenerate and regain its sea-legs: in that time, shipboard operations have stagnated. The RAF now has to make a substantial investment to deploy the Tornado GR4 to Afghanistan to replace the Harriers; Typhoon would be next, so JFH would not be deploying again for several years.

From an RAF point of view, retiring the Harrier is an easy, painless and quick money-saver. But the Navy has a different view: the service already gave up its own Sea Harriers when JFH was formed, and retirement would leave a gap of several years before the two new carriers and the JSF arrive.

On one level, the RN worries that the service will lose expertise in fixed-wing operations if the Harriers stop flying; at another, they fear that if the UK gets used to operating without sea-based fighters again, there will be a move to scrap carriers, JSF and all.

The RAF has longer-term considerations too. There have consistently been two UK JSF purchase numbers talked about: the UK government's confirmed number is 85, but the program plan is 138. The lower number supports two carrier air wings; the higher would maintain an operational land-based force at all times. The RAF - struggling to fund its third Typhoon batch - is understandably unenthusiastic about buying a fighter force that will be focused on sea-based missions.

The Navy is apparently talking up a compromise with a smaller Harrier force, but the risk there is that it becomes a "self-licking lollipop", expending most of its resources in training and currency and unable to provide much military muscle.

There are times when I am glad I am not the Minister of Defense and this is one of them.

Doug Barrie adds: “Closing Joint Force Harrier” and withdrawing the GR9 from service of course do not amount to the same thing. The aircraft, aircrew and ground support crew have performed well in Afghanistan for the past four years. The Ministry has suggested senior officials were misrepresented with regard to claims over withdrawing the GR9 from service as a savings measure.
Perhaps another route being considered in air force circles would be to wind-up Joint Force Harrier and bring all of the GR9s back within the ambit of the air force. At present the JFH is ostensibly made up of two RAF and two Royal Navy squadrons, though in recent years the navy has struggled to provide adequate numbers of pilots.

Ownership of the F-35 fleet when the Joint Combat Aircraft (as the F-35 is referred to by London) eventually enters service in the UK could also be providing added spice to any internal ministry debate.

[FlyNavy]

The same BS killed the RAN FAA fixed wing element oh so many years ago now. Kiwis need to only think recently when their Combat Wing was balled into moths. Everyone needs deep pockets eh and the Brits have only moths flying out of theirs. Good Segue no? ;D

[FlyNavy]

Go HERE for the : (some "Sharkey Style" RAD ideas)

F-35 "Lightning II" Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) Integration for Special Operations

www.geocities.com/usarmyaviationdigest/jsfspecops

[FlyNavy]

UK Signs For 3 F-35B Test Aircraft Mar 18, 2009 Douglas Barrie/London [e-mail]

www.aviationweek.com/aw/generic/story_generic.jsp?channel=defense&id=news/OTE031809.xml&headline=UK

Signs For F-35 Test Aircraft
British officials March 18 signed a deal to purchase three Lockheed Martin F-35Bs that will allow the United Kingdom to participate fully in the operational test and evaluation phase of the program.

British Defense Secretary John Hutton announced the decision during a visit to Washington. "By purchasing three aircraft for testing, we will secure
access to the development of the program. Working alongside their U.S. colleagues, our pilots will gain an unrivalled understanding of this awesome aircraft and its capabilities."

Involvement in the operational test and evaluation (OT&E) phase will provide a litmus test of sorts of whether Britain is actually getting the level of access to the aircraft, and data, that it believes it requires to help sustain what it terms "operational sovereignty" with regard to the F-35.

The F-35B is presently the favored variant to meet the United Kingdom's Joint Combat Aircraft requirement to replace the Harrier GR9. A final decision on the initial procurement number, and F-35 variant, however, will not be taken until around 2013. The aircraft is due to enter service in 2017.

The three U.K. OT&E aircraft will be delivered in 2011 and 2012.