Back on board: regenerating UK carrier strike capability

The UK's Joint Force Harrier (JFH) stood down from Operation 'Herrick' the UK's contribution to international security and reconstruction in Afghanistan in June 2009 after almost five years in theatre.

In that time, the Royal Air Force (RAF) and Royal Navy (RN) elements that make up the UK's Harrier force flew around 4,500 missions from their base at Kandahar, with their main role being close air support in support of ground forces in Helmand province in the south of the country.

That extended operational commitment has seen the introduction of a package of upgrades implemented to address urgent operational requirements (UORs) raised in response to emergent mission needs in the Afghanistan theatre, including a new targeting pod, the latest precision-guided ordnance, helmet-mounted cueing and an advanced defensive aids pod.

Operation 'Herrick' also proved the enhanced capabilities introduced with the GR.9 avionics re-architecture/weapon system update and the uprated Mk 107 Pegasus engine.

However, there is no disguising that the extended commitment of JFH to the Afghanistan theatre has over the same period significantly curtailed the availability of the UK's ground attack Harrier force - particularly its maritime-oriented Naval Strike Wing (NSW) - to exercise in the carrier-borne strike role.

As a result, HMS Illustrious, currently the UK's high readiness strike carrier (CVS), has frequently found its hangar and flight deck empty of fixed-wing aircraft over the past three years. This is not good news at a time when the RN is attempting to practice and hone the strike potential of its existing carriers in the run up to the introduction of the two new 65,000-ton Queen Elizabeth class vessels from the middle of the next decade.

Richard Scott is the Jane's Naval Consultant, based in London
287 of 2225 words
Copyright © IHS (Global) Limited, 2009
End of non-subscriber extract

source:http://www.janes.com/news/defence/jdw/jdw090904_1_n.shtml



When I was young I used to pray for a bike, then I realized that God doesn't work that way, so I stole a bike and prayed for forgiveness.

Or have their own tankers assigned to them, this is why they don't deploy Harriers from carriers for years, it's not only a question of carriers.




Thunder Supports Rafale
http://rafale.freeforums.org
http://rafale.freeforums.org/rafale-vs-f-16-aerodynamics-compared-t69.html

WAFF syndrome explained:

= A pathological liar is someone who often embellishes his or her stories in a way that he or she believes will impress people.

= In psychology, mythomania (also known as pseudologia fantastica or pathological lying) is a condition involving compulsive lying by a person with no obvious motivation.
http://www.bushywood.com/mythomania.htm

There's really no reasons (except to say: hey look the navy is very important in the GWOT) to use aircraft carriers to strike targets in Afghanistan. The country is conquered and is pretty far away from the oceans. Using air bases is much better.



When I was young I used to pray for a bike, then I realized that God doesn't work that way, so I stole a bike and prayed for forgiveness.

Say that to the US Navy, they carried and still carry a lot more missions than the USAF anywhere any time.

More and more excuses...

US Navy reinforces presence in Afghanistan
Mazen Mahdi, Foreign Correspondent

Last Updated: September 24. 2008 11:24PM UAE / September 24. 2008 7:24PM GMT
Deck crew on board USS Ronald Reagan prepare an F-18 for operations over Afghanistan. Mazen Mahdi / The National
ON BOARD OF THE USS RONALD REAGAN, GULF OF OMAN // The US military has begun reinforcing its presence in Afghanistan weeks ahead of an expected troop build-up amid reassurances that efforts to avoid civilian casualties will be redoubled.

This month, George W Bush, the US president, said he would be sending an additional 4,500 soldiers to Afghanistan while pulling 8,000 US troops from Iraq as a result of the security gains there.

All the while the US Navy has been increasing its efforts to support the coalition troops operating in Afghanistan.

On Aug 28, the largest and newest of the US Navy aircraft carrier armada, the USS Ronald Reagan, assumed command from the USS Abraham Lincoln in international waters in the Gulf of Oman, just a couple of hours flight from Afghanistan, and immediately launched its first sorties to assist the coalition troops on the ground.

According to Capt Thomas P Lalor, 46, the USS Ronald Reagan Carrier Air Wing 14 Commander, they fly two dozen sorties each day.


The focus of our mission here is to support the ground troops of the International Security Assistance Force [Isaf] in Afghanistan through reconnaissance and close air support when needed, said the commander on board the carrier, hours before he took part in a night flight mission over Afghanistan.


Capt Lalor said avoiding civilian casualties when raiding suspected militant strongholds topped the priorities of these missions, revealing that in every engagement where the insurgents used civilians as shields the pilots refrained from dropping the bombs and soldiers on the ground held fire to avoid killing non-combatants.

This month, the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (Unama) said 1,445 Afghan civilians had been killed in the first eight months of 2008, a 39 per cent increase over the same period last year.

The Unama report said 800 of these deaths were caused by the Taliban and other insurgent forces, while 577 deaths were caused by US, Nato and Afghan government forces, of which 395 deaths were caused by air strikes. An additional 68 civilians were killed in crossfire or other incidents in which responsibility could not be clearly attributed, according to the report.

Capt Lalor said every effort was being made to ensure that civilians are not harmed during raids targeting militant strongholds.

All of our pilots are very well trained and they are getting the best equipment and technology that is available out there in the world, including the most accurate weapons and sensors, he said.

Pilots are in constant contact with ground forces that have eyes on the target before firing, to ensure accuracy, he said.

Even once we agree on where the bombs go, if there is indication of any buildings or population around that target, we will start asking the hard questions of the forces on the ground to confirm that no civilians are within that target or nearby structures that could be affected, Capt Lalor said.

Ive told all the pilots that there has to be absolutely no doubt in their mind where the bomb is going to go and that its going to the right place before they clear the release. I much rather have them bring back the bomb then put it somewhere it doesnt belong.

The 23-year veteran of the Navy with an accumulated 3,700 flight hours said the pilots were mostly fathers and husbands, so they understood the importance of not hitting innocent civilians.
http://www.thenational.ae/article/20080924/FOREIGN/39840441/1002


Thunder Supports Rafale
http://rafale.freeforums.org
http://rafale.freeforums.org/rafale-vs-f-16-aerodynamics-compared-t69.html

WAFF syndrome explained:

= A pathological liar is someone who often embellishes his or her stories in a way that he or she believes will impress people.

= In psychology, mythomania (also known as pseudologia fantastica or pathological lying) is a condition involving compulsive lying by a person with no obvious motivation.
http://www.bushywood.com/mythomania.htm

Thunder, are you saying it's more cost effective to launch aircraft hours away from a target or just one hour? Which aircraft will have a longer loiter time? Which aircraft will be faster on the spot?


Like I said, the USN is helping out because they don't want their budget cut and want to take part in the GWOT (to gain experience in air strikes etc). It would be better to put the carrier based aircraft ashore in an Afghan base or somewhere closer to the theater of operations.



When I was young I used to pray for a bike, then I realized that God doesn't work that way, so I stole a bike and prayed for forgiveness.

"Nighthawk00)
Like I said, the USN is helping out because they don't want their budget cut and want to take part in the GWOT (to gain experience in air strikes etc)".

The NAVY did the BULK of it in most campaign because you don't have an infinite number of bases where to operate the number and type of USAF assets needed and that''s a FACT.

Cost effectiveness doesn't even come into it.


"Nighthawk00)
It would be better to put the carrier based aircraft ashore in an Afghan base or somewhere closer to the theater of operations".

Yeah?

And WHERE?

The French were only able to operate 4/6 aircrafts from Kandahar for a year or so, you have no idea what it is like there, they are even more limited than the carrier for simple security reasons.



Thunder Supports Rafale
http://rafale.freeforums.org
http://rafale.freeforums.org/rafale-vs-f-16-aerodynamics-compared-t69.html

WAFF syndrome explained:

= A pathological liar is someone who often embellishes his or her stories in a way that he or she believes will impress people.

= In psychology, mythomania (also known as pseudologia fantastica or pathological lying) is a condition involving compulsive lying by a person with no obvious motivation.
http://www.bushywood.com/mythomania.htm