Max Headroom Posted January 26, 2011 Share Posted January 26, 2011 (edited) I saw this on the local news tonight................... - http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-1229137 Trevor Edit - just tried road testing this and the link doesn't work. Try this link to the BBC News homepage instead - it's on the irght hand side. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/ Edited January 26, 2011 by Max Headroom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
richellis Posted January 26, 2011 Share Posted January 26, 2011 Hum, another multi-million £ pile of scrap. Will we never learn. Anyone else thinking TSR2? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark M Posted January 26, 2011 Share Posted January 26, 2011 its not right, i was at wadd last week and took some bad photos of one of the last 2 but did you here its goping to cost £200 million to scrap them! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob P Posted January 26, 2011 Share Posted January 26, 2011 its not right, i was at wadd last week and took some bad photos of one of the last 2 but did you here its goping to cost £200 million to scrap them! So, instead of scrapping them, flog them to the Yanks to replace "Rivet Joint" Whoops, too late Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimbuna Posted January 26, 2011 Share Posted January 26, 2011 I hope we're never taught a harsh lesson in the future as a result of this decision Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CockneyCol Posted January 26, 2011 Share Posted January 26, 2011 Look at it another way, it's soon going to be possible to build a scale replica of the entire RAF inventory for under £20.00.............. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
richellis Posted January 26, 2011 Share Posted January 26, 2011 What is left flying? Everything seams to be axed! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnT Posted January 26, 2011 Share Posted January 26, 2011 What is left flying?Everything seams to be axed! I thought that a few days ago anyone care to draft an inventory? here is a start How many Typhoons? Hercules? Tornados - going on till when? Hawks? Helicopters? other types and lest not forget the B of B memorial aircraft as they might still be needed ! JohnT Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob P Posted January 26, 2011 Share Posted January 26, 2011 (edited) Look at it another way, it's soon going to be possible to build a scale replica of the entire RAF inventory for under £20.00.............. Strangely enough, I'm doing a "Then and Now". 1972 RAF and an end of 2010 (because I want to include the new Airfix Harrier GR9) Think 1972 might bankrupt me! Edited January 26, 2011 by RobVXD Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Irishgreek Posted January 26, 2011 Share Posted January 26, 2011 Doesn't it seem like a good idea to put them, the harriers and some of the other 'early' retired out to something like the AMARG out in the desert in the US. Pay a little rent and if things get better, bring them back if needed. If things change down the road, scrap them then when they are really obsolete. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimbuna Posted January 27, 2011 Share Posted January 27, 2011 Doesn't it seem like a good idea to put them, the harriers and some of the other 'early' retired out to something like the AMARG out in the desert in the US. Pay a little rent and if things get better, bring them back if needed. If things change down the road, scrap them then when they are really obsolete. I'd be putting the Harriers in storage down in the South Atlantic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julien Posted January 27, 2011 Share Posted January 27, 2011 (edited) Check out the new today http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-12294766 ***Warning contains distressing pics of a Nimrod being cut up! *** Julien Edited January 27, 2011 by Julien Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
richellis Posted January 27, 2011 Share Posted January 27, 2011 Hang on, I could be wrong but this is how I read it, Cost £4 billion to develop and get the MR4 to this stage, plus the £200 million compo to BAe systems to cancel the MR4 to save £2 Billion over 10 years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SimonR Posted January 27, 2011 Share Posted January 27, 2011 Doesn't it seem like a good idea to put them, the harriers and some of the other 'early' retired out to something like the AMARG out in the desert in the US. Pay a little rent and if things get better, bring them back if needed. If things change down the road, scrap them then when they are really obsolete. Thats far too sensible an idea! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul J Posted January 27, 2011 Share Posted January 27, 2011 Let alone this kind of money wasting and sacrilege, bases are closing down rapidly, Cottesmore, and Lyneham to start with..... Yes its shades of Wilsons day in power and the TSR2 all over again. We now have no maritime coverage around our shores let alone protecting subs, little air defence, who knows where it will end up. I feel that HMG is under the power of the press and journalists , bankers etc. They are our weak link. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnT Posted January 27, 2011 Share Posted January 27, 2011 Wholly bemused at Press reports yesterday and today that "former senior brass" are writing to say that this leaves a huge gap in our defences/security Their point is exactly? We all know that but why make it after the airframes are trashed? Their sense of timing is in the rather estblished military tradition of too little and too late Facts are sadly that we ain't got the money and what we have is tied up in an unbreakable contract for carriers and in MOD massive over runs and budget farces. We all know them so I won't be boring and list them. I won't live that long anyway. Without getting political I would suggest a Royal Commission or Public Enquiry should be held into the ludicrous way we as a country buy our defence kit and once and for all we change things and start to get it right and buy the right stuff, at the right price, delivered ready to work on day one and on time just as any other business or home would do and stop repeating the TSR2 fiasco and a 1001 others the same - or is that too much to ask? feel better now - thanks chaps JohnT Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim T Posted January 27, 2011 Share Posted January 27, 2011 I was looking at those pictures, trying to tell myself, 'it is only a hunk of metal' It wasn't working. Like the Harrier, the Nimrod was genuinely original and superb at what it did. Seems such an ignoble end. RIP Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich F Posted January 27, 2011 Share Posted January 27, 2011 Just watched the clip with a tear in my eye, but I am so angry at what has happened to these aircraft. Yes they were grossly over budget but that money has already been spent, so why throw it all away just to save 2 billion over 10 years. I think this was the worst SDSR decision of them all and i have a horrible feeling that this is going to be a big mistake... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimbuna Posted January 27, 2011 Share Posted January 27, 2011 Check out the new todayhttp://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-12294766 ***Warning contains distressing pics of a Nimrod being cut up! *** Julien Absolutely terrible!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark M Posted January 27, 2011 Share Posted January 27, 2011 i recon we have tornado gr4's typhoons hawk t1 , t2's tutors E-3's 2x Nimrod R1 (for a couple of weeks) Sentinal for what a year c-17 herks k,j tristar vc10 bae 125, 146 islander firefly! tuccano kingair vigilant viking chinook squiril seaking merlin puma look how many of then are trainers and air cadets!! we have more trainers than active service aircraft! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ursa_major Posted January 27, 2011 Share Posted January 27, 2011 (edited) i recon we havetornado gr4's Tornado F3s until the end of March typhoons hawk t1 , t2's tutors - these are owned by Babcock (& formerly VT), not the RAF, part of the EFT contract E-3's 2x Nimrod R1 (for a couple of weeks) - Until the end of March Sentinal for what a year - Until 2015 at least c-17 - one new one added to the fleet in the past couple of months herks k,j - Ks are at the end of their lives, Js are being used far more intensively than planned for at procurement time. tristar vc10 bae 125, 146 islander - believe that these are now all operated by the AAC, could be wrong on that firefly! - Nope. T-67s were owned by Babcock (and IIRC very briefly by VT) but were withdrawn from use last year and replaced by the Tutor. All T-67s now either in store at Leicester or sold on. tucano kingair - 2 more recently given military serials, RN have also just acquired some, may become a single fleet in the future. vigilant viking chinook - more on order, fleet also being upgraded too. squirrel seaking merlin puma Shadow - 4 currently in service, more on the way. Plus the UAV fleet. look how many of then are trainers and air cadets!! we have more trainers than active service aircraft! Comments added in red to correct a few points. Also don't forget that the whole flight training programme (MFTS) is currently up for tender, so there may be different aircraft operating in RAF markings dependent on which bid wins. Edited January 27, 2011 by ursa_major Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mentalguru Posted January 27, 2011 Share Posted January 27, 2011 Just to throw in a curveball, what would happen if sudenly the RAF heritage flight had to be scrapped to make some money- and they actually DID IT!!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Irishgreek Posted January 27, 2011 Share Posted January 27, 2011 It all just seems like it is being in done in such a 'rush'. Very odd. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul J Posted January 27, 2011 Share Posted January 27, 2011 (edited) Not wishing to sound anti US,(I'm not,----neutral in fact) but the supposed leasing of EC-135s, the JSF (Yah booo!) and one or two other aircraft it sems the RAF fleet will nearly be entirely US built/designed aircraft. Will the mothballed P-3 join the RAF to cover the role of the Nimrod? Is this the way HMG is heading? The death Knell for the British built aircraft is arriving I fear. Edited January 27, 2011 by Paul J Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vickers McFunbus Posted January 27, 2011 Share Posted January 27, 2011 Just to throw in a curveball, what would happen if sudenly the RAF heritage flight had to be scrapped to make some money- and they actually DID IT!!!!! It'd be a bit like selling HMS Victory to someone stateside. Wouldn't happen. Mind you, I thinning of assets could potentially happen in future, but then again, the capital gain (I suspect being military operated that they wouldn't be able to command the price of privately owned examples) and the operating savings would be minimal in the long term with it being such a small, specialised unit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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