British Air Power in T2K

[Legbreaker]

Why?

Take Australian deployments for example. Since Vietnam, not once have we sent over a balanced force consisting of all the unit types needed in a conflict zone (except perhaps East Timor, but in that case the aircraft were still based in Australia just outside Darwin).

We usually send over a couple of ships, or a medical team, or a battalion or two of infantry plus APCs and a small artillery unit, or some other mix of troops and equipment. All the additional needs are met by other countries - US supplying fighter cover for example, while our units fill in deficiencies in their OOB.

As long as other countries have a reasonable number of the necessary supporting units, and are willing to operate as a combined command, there's no reason I can see for the British reducing committment to the European theatre and redirecting to the arguably less warlike middle east.

[RN7]

Originally Posted by Legbreaker

Why?

Take Australian deployments for example. Since Vietnam, not once have we sent over a balanced force consisting of all the unit types needed in a conflict zone (except perhaps East Timor, but in that case the aircraft were still based in Australia just outside Darwin).

We usually send over a couple of ships, or a medical team, or a battalion or two of infantry plus APCs and a small artillery unit, or some other mix of troops and equipment. All the additional needs are met by other countries - US supplying fighter cover for example, while our units fill in deficiencies in their OOB.

As long as other countries have a reasonable number of the necessary supporting units, and are willing to operate as a combined command, there's no reason I can see for the British reducing committment to the European theatre and redirecting to the arguably less warlike middle east.

Politics and oil might be a good reason. If the US is providing close to 90% of NATO's ground forces in the Middle East in T2K to guarantee oil supplies to the West, and has essembled an air force in Britain that is as large as the entire RAF, its reasonable to assume that they would like Britain to contribute more to the cause in the Middle East. Excluding a few light infantry/para battalions, it would be a lot easier to send air units to the Middle East than heavy mechanised ground forces.

Also France is building up its forces in the Middle East from 1997, and Britain would want its share of influence over oil supplies as welll. Before the war goes nuclear both Britain and France are on roughly the same military level from an international point of view. No longer powers on the level of the US and USSR, but still powerful nations with a great deal of global influence in their own right.

Remember Britain only pulled its forces out of Asia in 1971, excluding small garrisons in Hong Kong and Brunei, while its realy only since the 1960's that Britain had started to think of itself as a "smaller" power compared to the likes of the USA. Up until the Suez Crisis Britain's Anglo-Persian Oil Company which is the antecendant of British Petrolium, probably had more influence in the Middle Eastern oil industry than any other. If it wasn't for a number of Scitzo British defence white papers in the 1960's, Britain would probably have built a couple of 60,000+ ton aircraft carriers, the Blue Streak IRBM, the TSR-2 bomber, and probably had its own space programme. Old habits can die hard!

[95th Rifleman]

I recall the RAF having a system of metal, for lack of a better term, mats that they could lay down to form a temp Harrier base. pretty much setting up a flight or even a squadron of Harriers pretty much anywhere out of the back of a truck.

[StainlessSteelCynic]

Originally Posted by 95th Rifleman

I recall the RAF having a system of metal, for lack of a better term, mats that they could lay down to form a temp Harrier base. pretty much setting up a flight or even a squadron of Harriers pretty much anywhere out of the back of a truck.

Like this?

[Canadian Army]

I notice you left out the Government Flying Service of Hong Kong. Here is some info.

Government Flying Service
It was established on 1 April 1993, when Hong Kong was under British rule. It then took over all the non-military operations of the Royal Hong Kong Auxiliary Air Force (RHKAAF), which was an auxiliary unit of the United Kingdom Royal Air Force. It was responsible for search and rescue (SAR), air ambulance, firefighting and police operations. The fleet comprised (1993-1996):
2x Beechcraft Super King Air; used for maritime surveillance and VIP transport.
3x Sikorsky S-70A Black Hawk; medium lift utility helicopter
6x Sikorsky S-76 Spirit; medium utility helicopter
4x Slingsby T-67M-200 Firefly; fixed wing trainer

[perardua]

The Harrier force was supposed to be dispersed into clearings in the German forests, according to an old and bold RAF Regiment Gunner I know. That's also the reason that groundcrew on Harrier squadrons used to get the crap knocked out of them by burly Paras with pickaxe handles simulating Spetsnatz on exercises, apparently. (To be fair, so did groundcrews on Tornado and Jaguar squadrons in the UK - the Harrier force guys just got it more often as their war role expected them to be closer to the FEBA).

In war, a number of the RAF Regiment field squadrons would have been deployed to support Harrier dets dispersed like that.

[95th Rifleman]

Originally Posted by perardua

The Harrier force was supposed to be dispersed into clearings in the German forests, according to an old and bold RAF Regiment Gunner I know. That's also the reason that groundcrew on Harrier squadrons used to get the crap knocked out of them by burly Paras with pickaxe handles simulating Spetsnatz on exercises, apparently. (To be fair, so did groundcrews on Tornado and Jaguar squadrons in the UK - the Harrier force guys just got it more often as their war role expected them to be closer to the FEBA).

In war, a number of the RAF Regiment field squadrons would have been deployed to support Harrier dets dispersed like that.

Aye, Tornados don't really work as CAS aircraft and Harriers where all we had for the role. You need them fairly close to the front to respond to CAS requests quickly.

[RN7]

Originally Posted by Canadian Army

I notice you left out the Government Flying Service of Hong Kong. Here is some info.

Government Flying Service
It was established on 1 April 1993, when Hong Kong was under British rule. It then took over all the non-military operations of the Royal Hong Kong Auxiliary Air Force (RHKAAF), which was an auxiliary unit of the United Kingdom Royal Air Force. It was responsible for search and rescue (SAR), air ambulance, firefighting and police operations. The fleet comprised (1993-1996):
2x Beechcraft Super King Air; used for maritime surveillance and VIP transport.
3x Sikorsky S-70A Black Hawk; medium lift utility helicopter
6x Sikorsky S-76 Spirit; medium utility helicopter
4x Slingsby T-67M-200 Firefly; fixed wing trainer

Thanks I'll add that.