wonwinglo

MoD forced to hire civilian helicopters in Afghanistan
Britain is so short of helicopters in Afghanistan that military chiefs are being forced to scour the world for civilian aircraft to support its troops after the U.S. rejected a plea to help plug the shortfall.
An ageing fleet of just eight Chinooks is working around the clock to supply and reinforce soldiers in remote outposts facing waves of Taliban attacks. The only Chinook in the Falklands was taken away for use in the campaign.

The revelations come in the wake of the outburst by General Sir Richard Dannatt, the army chief, against the Government's military strategy last week.
The Independent on Sunday can also reveal that reconnaissance and intelligence missions in Afghanistan are being affected by the lack of smaller and more flexible helicopters. But senior military officials said that when U.K. commanders asked for temporary deployment of US helicopters in Afghanistan, they were told there were none to spare.

Instead, the MoD has been forced to seek out commercial operators for non-combat operations, to free more military craft for use at the front line. So urgent is the need that Britain is understood to be asking other nations that have ordered Merlin helicopters from Westland to allow the MoD to requisition them.
Just last weekend Tony Blair said: If the commanders on the ground want more equipment, armoured vehicles for example, more helicopters, that will be provided. Whatever package they want, we will do.
The revelations reinforce the view of Gen. Dannatt that the military is running at full stretch in Iraq and Afghanistan, where yesterday two more NATO soldiers were killed and an Italian photojournalist was kidnapped. But it became clear this weekend that the general would not be sacked, despite saying that the presence of British troops in Iraq exacerbates the difficulties we are facing around the world, and that we should get ourselves out some time soon.

It also emerged yesterday that British forces have detailed plans to scale down forces in southern Iraq in the next few months. Building work has already started at the British base at Basra airport, where forces will be consolidated. The main military hospital is due to move there from the Shaibah logistics base out in the desert and Shaibah, the largest base in the British sector, would be closed next year.
Smaller bases within Basra city, which attract the bulk of attacks on British forces, would be closed as control passes to the Iraqis.
Commanders hope the British deployment of 7200 would be almost halved by the end of 2007. The Pentagon is planning to maintain U.S. troop levels in Iraq at about 140,000 for at least four more years.

Private Peter McKinley, 21, of the Parachute Regiment has become the first British soldier in Afghanistan to be recommended for the Victoria Cross after he saved a wounded U.S. sergeant under heavy fire.

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'And there I was oil on my goggles from a broken pipe,then I looked at the altimeter,all I could see was the makers name !'
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Bunkerbarge

I think our armed forces must be in the worst state they have ever been.

Did you realise that although we have three carriers, Illustrious, Invincible and Ark Royal we only have enough crew to put two of them at sea at any time, the third is expected to be undergoing refits!!

Compare that with the fleet at Jutland.

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“Dirty British coaster with a salt-caked smoke stack, Butting through the Channel in the mad March days"

wonwinglo

The desert conditions have been playing havoc with the helicopter fleet in particular,the sand acts like a grinding paste especially to the gearboxes.
Too many wars in such a short period of time has left us somewhat depleted,moral must be at an all time low as well ?
We should have learned our lessons from the Battle of Britain.

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'And there I was oil on my goggles from a broken pipe,then I looked at the altimeter,all I could see was the makers name !'
www.wonwinglo.scale-models.net/

Bunkerbarge

I have come to the sad conclusion that we do not learn from our past.

Politicians simlpy chase votes which means putting more money in peoples pockets, which means trimming as much from every service they possibly can.

Our public transport systems, hospitals, schools, armed forces are all a disgrace and are all the victim of spending cuts. Unfortunately we have a greedy society that want all the materialistic trappings of the modern world and the money in thier pocket to pay for it.

I am probably one of the few people who think that taxation should be higher and the money put into improving our public services.

Compare us with the Norwegians, they have high taxation but superb public services. They look after thier retired population, have an excellent health service and a stable, thriving economy. Women get a years paid maternity leave so they get it back one way or another.

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“Dirty British coaster with a salt-caked smoke stack, Butting through the Channel in the mad March days"