MOD Media Management - more cracks appearing

It appears that the MOD stance that the UK forces are working well together may be as credible that they're adequately equipped. An email from a 3 Para Major is particularly critical of RAF Harrier support. More details here at the BBC. Defending the RAF in the face of being called "utterly, utterly useless" the MOD wheeled out several spokesmen who claimed that these were individual comments that "do not reflect the view of the vast majority of soldiers".

 

I recall that the Army in Nothern Ireland very well peed off with RAF pilots there, because they went in, hovered, made the troops jump out and then sped off. Apparently they preferred RN pilots who landed to let them out on the ground before departing.

However it doesn't excuse this government for cutting back on service equipment and sending insufficient troops.

It's getting a bit like the old wooden ships days, all they need now is to execute a soldier for not winning a battle, just like old Admiral Byng.

 

But the RAF are utterly utterly useless, and the vast majority of soldiers and sailors DO think so. Vastly overmanned, with no frontline capability to speka of, and handicapped by a completely civilian/health-and-safety jobsworth attitude to everything. Abolish the lost of them and split them between the AAC and the FAA....

 

I have heard that the RAF helicopter pilots are doing a good job. I recently visited RAF Odiham and was impressed, and surprised, by how positive everyone was.

I bet their problem is that they just don't have enough aircraft. No how good the aircrew, they can't be in two places at once.

I have done some research and (excluding training aircraft) the RN has considerably more helicopters than the RAF. Why? I guess it is because to the RAF helicopters are not sexy things to spend money on...

 

So the vast majority think the Major is actually offering prioase rather than criticism so the man from the ministy is correct!

 

Re-reading the article, it appears that the criticism is being levelled at the Harrier rather than the rotary-wing community. A couple of years ago I was working at Boscombe Down in a Systems Assurance (aka safety) role and one of the proposals we were looking at from the RAF was the requirement for single-shot firing of the CRV-7 rockets (normally big-bang approach). This requirement came about as a result of the need of the front-line aircraft to be able to fire a minimal amount of ordnance to act as a warning against ground targets which had been lost with the deletion of the gun. Isn't defence procurement such a good example of joined-up thinking!