75ZT Community

Today sees the premature retirement from RAF/RN service of the Harrier.

At 1300 hrs 16 aircraft will make a one hour flight, from RAF Cottesmore to commemorate its service to the country.

Considering that the Harrier and Sea Harrier were instrumental in the liberation of the Falkland Islands in 1982, would it not be a fitting gesture to retain a couple of RAF Harriers and RN Sea Harriers. These aircraft could join the RAF Memorial Flight and the RN Historic Flight as a tribute to those personnel killed and wounded in action in that summer of 1982.

After all the Hurricane and Spitfire saved this country from a possible invasion in 1940, and in 1982 the Harrier helped to liberate the only British territory that has been invaded since WW2.

I'm no expert but I consider the retiring of these aircraft to be very short sighted.
I agree at least one should be kept in service for demonstrations.

Mick wrote:I'm no expert but I consider the retiring of these aircraft to be very short sighted.

And the Nimrod.

raistlin wrote:

Mick wrote:I'm no expert but I consider the retiring of these aircraft to be very short sighted.

And the Nimrod.

Foolhardy in the extreme IMNSHO

I have a great affection for the Harrier and believe it remains an incredibly robust and versatile piece of kit.....one that we really should not be losing....

Mick wrote:

raistlin wrote:

Mick wrote:I'm no expert but I consider the retiring of these aircraft to be very short sighted.

And the Nimrod.

Foolhardy in the extreme IMNSHO

Not to mention the Ark Royal?

I can envisage the need for these aircraft to be brought out of retirement in the future, only to find we no longer have any pilots with the necessary skills to fly them.

A very unique aircraft which will be sorely missed.

This country will probably sell them to the Argentinians!

Dave Goody wrote:

Mick wrote:

raistlin wrote:

Mick wrote:I'm no expert but I consider the retiring of these aircraft to be very short sighted.

And the Nimrod.

Foolhardy in the extreme IMNSHO

Not to mention the Ark Royal?

all very short sighted , they could at least mothball them just in case and as has been said not long before we won't have any one to fly them even if we need them . our armed services will be Little more than community support offices at this rate if the falklands happened now we would be hard pressed to do much also we do need to look after them when they are hurt and their families when they get killed and give them the tools to do the job . they do not chose where they fight they follow orders and should be supported.

It's alright we are going to use the French Carriers till 2015 if we need them!!

What with the Tristars about to be replaced (2013) by hired in Boeings from the USA
1,600 staff just made redundant with their skills due to no more Nimrods or Harriers
New fuel tanker planes going to come from the US to, and they still have their equivalent of our Harrier with improved speed and performance available if we get stuck!!!

Its all madness,
and now they are closing the Criminal Forensic Service with many job losses around the country,
the Police now hiring "Private" forensic services or trying in house.
God help us all!!!!

Both the withdrawl of the Harrier and the Nimrod, are, I believe incredbly short sighted.

As many have said - Harrier, a unique and iconic weapons platform, which could not be more suited to the kind of warzones we are currently engaged in: a small adaptable and capable weapons platform that can operate from a small clearing anywhere in the battle field.



It was only in recent years that the MOD consolidated it's Harrier force (named Joint Force Harrier) out of RAF Wittering (and I believe Cottesmore) The RN's Sea Harrier Force was axed and replaced with a joint GR9 platform that had only been upgraded recently.

The Nimrod is also a similar tale, with the MR4 Project, being delayed and costs escalating. However, in seeing the project through, we would have had a fantastic, soley British aircraft. In the Nimrod's case also, I believe the crash in Afghanistan has been used as an excuse. Take Concord for example, following it's crash in Paris (which in itself was no fault of the aircraft) it was deemed unsafe, despite having an exemplary safety record in comparison to most, if not all other passenger carrying aircraft.

Spend millions on development - then cancel the project, seems to be the British rule. TSR 2 in the 60's was also another prime example, which, should the aircraft had entered service, put us decades ahead (which is one reason why the US put presure on us cancelling it (that and a tasty order of F111's they wanted the Austrailians to buy instead!)) An account from the Chief Test Pilot Roland (Roley) Beaumont, stated that a TSR2 on 1 afterburner, was out performing an EE Lightning with 2 lit up.


All in all a very sad move which we will live to regret, and another nail in the coffin of Great Britishness. I hate to say it, but if possible, I may see if I can stay in Bavaria once I am out there this time next year.

Jake

The bean counters always seem to win the day, regardless of the best advice from those that actually do the relevant jobs.

Mick wrote:The bean counters always seem to win the day, regardless of the best advice from those that actually do the relevant jobs.

sounds like my place. i really need to win the lotto...........

Yet another British icon resigned to the scrap heap.....I'm sure these bean counters have never been close to combat with no understanding of the impact this aircraft had on the front line. I will never forget them flying over Port Stanley and neither would the islanders.

JakeWilson wrote: I hate to say it, but if possible, I may see if I can stay in Bavaria once I am out there this time next year.

Jake

Well you will only be replacing the Bavarian we have 'adopted' who loves Britain and has made it home. (How is your Bavarian, BTW?).

Don't get me wrong, there's plenty wrong with the way our country and many of our businesses are run. But it's certainly not a problem we are alone with.

Where in Bavaria?

Duncan wrote:

JakeWilson wrote: I hate to say it, but if possible, I may see if I can stay in Bavaria once I am out there this time next year.

Jake

Well you will only be replacing the Bavarian we have 'adopted' who loves Britain and has made it home. (How is your Bavarian, BTW?).

Don't get me wrong, there's plenty wrong with the way our country and many of our businesses are run. But it's certainly not a problem we are alone with.

Where in Bavaria?

You're quite right I am sure there'll be problems (grass is always greener and so on) but still.. Every time I go over to Germany (initially it was on trips out with the RAF) I always wanted to stay.

If all goes well I'll be staying in Augsburg for a year. My German on whole is improving massively, however the local dialect will take some getting used to I am sure.


Jake

Yesterday when the harriers were due to do a flypast at Waddington and then over Lincoln, I have never seen so many people and cars piled into the viewing area and roadside. More infact than when the Vulcan played for the best part of an hour a couple of years ago. Even though they decided not to due to low cloud they were running up one of the nimrods and a spitfire did a couple of passes and i did see 2 harriers fly over on Friday but even so. It's complete madness, of course no one can guess what world events will be in the next ten years but, what about current operations?? The strategic defence review is just a joke, 2 versatile and very capable aircraft gone with no real replacements for some time, not to mention all the other hardware that wont now come to anything or will be scrapped ... i'm British, get me out of here!!!!

......and now they confirm aircraft carrier HMS Illustrious is to be scrapped next year!

We are only a tiny lil island, and no one has tried to invade us since 1940, and to be honest, who would want to??

So why do we need defense forces, all we use them for is to get involved in things abroad that we can't afford to get involved in!! .. do'hhh
...

Many years ago I listened to a radio play about war in the future.

Armies no longer fought but battles took place between two opposing computers. After the computer battle each side would be told how many members of their army had to be killed.

I suppose if that became reality this country would be using a ZX Spectrum.

Paul