Tuesday 21 April 2009

Er ...

... is anyone else slightly uncomfortable about this?

The shut-down of two RAF Tornado squadrons is to go ahead a year early in order to save money, leaving Britain with just eight aircraft kept ready to protect its skies, it has been reported.


I realise there isn't really a visible threat, but fucking hell, an airforce of eight active planes ... ?

Do you REALLY believe that it is more important to shore up Labour's client voters with dole money than protect the country from invasion? Fucking hell, even the Italians could take us now.

17 comments:

Chris said...

So, looks like there's a lot of fat to be cut out of the RAF's staffing budget then. That useless git Jock Stirrup can be first on the chopping block.

Lewis Spence was right: we don't *need* a RAF anymore. Carrier planes (fighters and bombers) should be run by the Fleet Air Arm; transport, whirlybirds and ground attack by Army aviators.

Fidothedog said...

Italians be buggered, certain small principalities near the Alps are looking us over for invasion.

Dungeekin said...

Worry not, Citizen.

Your Saviour Brown has got it covered - and we've got a new Air Defence Fighter.

D

Anonymous said...

Having expressed outrage to my Dad (ex-RAF fighter pilot) a while back when this was put forward - he pointed out that they just don't have the pilots to man the squadrons - it takes 7 years to train them up and there's no point in having squadrons of planes sitting round doing bugger all for the best part of a decade - especially as it costs a lot of money to even keep a tornado sat on the ground. Now if they'd provided the sodding money to train these guys then it would be a different story but as it is there's not a lot of point in keeping them.

Also, not sure about the 8 jets thing. Presumably they are the ones designated for emergency scrambles? Otherwise their implying there are only 3 operation squadrons in the UK? (with two about to shut down) Not sure how many they would say were normally kept ready for that - presumably only a pair from a number of bases? How many have we historically kept on standby during peacetime? 4 pairs of aircraft from bases in scotland, norfolk & lincolnshire would be able to intercept any moderate threat pretty effectively.

RantinRab said...

It's okay folks, I'm sure our big pal from over the pond will look after us. (As long as we are their bitch).

Lester Taylor said...

What about the Falklands?

Beware of Geeks bearing GIFs said...

I think they may be working on a last stand plan. Bear with me.

You see, you get your welfare chavs placated with dole money, holidays, houses, TVs etc and when an oppressive nation makes noises for an invasion, you suddenly cut all welfare and blame it on that nation saying: they have your money, if you want it, go over there and get it.

There's nothing worse than an angry chav without money for his 12 cans of wife beater in the morning.

Hacked Off said...

http://therantingkingpenguin.blogspot.com/2009/04/defence-of-realm-surely-number-one.html

16th of April.

Bloody Russians could have invaded by now, Obo!

The Penguin

Obnoxio The Clown said...

I give up. :o)

Richard said...

Look on the bright side. If our bearded friends fill a 747 with something nasty and head for central London, the brave Brylcreem boys (or possibly Kent Air Cadets) will no doubt take them down somehow.

That will give Cyclops an opportunity to get all Churchillian and say 'Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few.'

He'd then go on to say 'And let us not forget that our Few, a Labour Few, a Labour band of brothers are far fewer than the Tory Few that failed to celebrate diversity during the unpleasantness of 1940.

In fact, Mr Draper has just discovered that Churchill was not only rotten with syphilis, but both he and his mad wife were having affairs while Churchill shamelessly promoted his gay lover's business. Errm, vote Labour.'

Anonymous said...

Don`t worry yourself. Why the fuck would a nation want to invade us? Were virtually bankrupt and produce fuck all except scroungers.
Its the enemy within we need to worry about.

Hacked Off said...

Never mind, OBO, we'll be OK, there's still the odd Spitfire flying.

http://therantingkingpenguin.blogspot.com/2009/04/achtung-spitfire.html

The Penguin

Faux Cu said...

What happens when two cargo 747s head in, one from USA and the other from Denmark full of mad mustaphas heading for Edinburgh and London.

At the same time two Russian Bears come over the horizon from The North Pole and who the fuck id going to stop them all?

Or has Gorgon got a piece of paper from Mr Bin Laden saying "Peace be to Allah and Friendship in our time?"

All we need is a couple of Suicide Icelandic Trawlers at the same time sailing up the Thames.

SaltedSlug said...

I think we can safely assume the last batch of Eurofigthers won't be ordered, either. The defence-cut-by-stealth is a favourite tactic of the this government. They do a review and decide, for instance, that we need 14 destroyers. A couple of years later they've got to actually sign an order. Initially they order a batch of 4, and over time it turns to anything more than 4 being a luxury. So now they've 6. 45% of what they decided they needed.

Logically they should walk away from the A400M as well, but we won't, 'cause we've got the French to stiffen our jelly spines.

Tools.

Anonymous said...

Well the Navy has lost almost 40% of its ships since the Snotgobbler and the Blairmessiah began to destroy my country. I'll put good money down that the replacement carriers have gone as will any more Astutes and the type 45's. For the money spunked away on a false VAT cut we could more than double the Fleet and have money left over to deploy real SAFE mine protected vehicles not the Eurocrap that this corrupt, sordid shower have left us with. We could use the Navy to teach Johhny Frog a lesson next time they try blockades. Fly a Pirate flag? You must be a Pirate then... off the execution dock mon brave.

microdave said...

Maybe it's time to replace the dummy guns with real ones in the U.K.'s fleet of privately operated warbirds.

Anonymous said...

The EU only wants our infantry and artillery, every thing isn't neccasary.
That's why the budgets are cut and the RAF as well as NAVY is being asset stripped.

give the UK no real defence and it will need the EU, not whilst we still have achohol and pen knives!