Are the Scottish and women voters worth any less than anyone else in the UK in your opinion and if so why? How about the Welsh, the Irish, ethnic minorities, Kevin Sinfield, trade unionists? I imagine the next government will be elected in the same way as in the last few unless the AV referendum gets through.

I am sad that the Harriers days are over but it no longer has as an important a role in the forseeable theatre situations and has therefore been a regrettable first casualty. Had Labour not wasted so much on some terrible procurement policies perhaps the Harrier & Cottesmore might have survived a little longer.

Re

I think you'll find that MOD procurement has been a major issue for several governments and not just Labour ones. Not like you to be partisan over an issue of great importance to national security.

The Eurofighter was first committed to when Michael Heseltine was still around in Thatcher's cabinet in the mid eighties, before his resignation over Westlands... did that project come in on time and on budget?

As we will not now be able to fly any fast jets from any UK carrier until around 2020 (at the earliest) what is the rationale behind planning to do so then but not also being able to do so in the intervening period? Seems we have a present capability that we are going to decomission 10 years before the replacement is ready to enter service. I thought this was a strategic defence review. Which threat are they preparing for post 2020 and why is it not a threat until then I wonder.

Even if the JSF - F35 is delivered on schedule it won't come with fully trained Royal Navy/RAF pilots. As the last time a NAS aircraft catipulted off or arrester-wire landed on a British carrier was in 1978 it will be a 42 year gap (minimum) before one is likely to do so again. I imagine it'll take more than a two month type conversion course to bring them up to spec now that they've removed the VSTOL requirement. Indeed by removing the VSTOL component (as they announced today) wouldn't it have made more sense to produce a maritme version of the Eurofighter and boosted that programme instead?

Nice to see that Juan can contribute on other subjects other than Bailey bashing.

Wilf Rosenberg was a member of the first leeds rlfc team to win the championship in 1961.
that is a major milestone in the clubs history

Better than the single line "Classic" type stuff

You should get out more BB

I still have great memories of that day at Odsal- Also saw most of Rosenberg's tries in Leeds colours - fantastic

i was very near when Colin Evans scrambled over .that day is probably the most important final in the clubs history

I spent almost 20 years living next door to Colin Evans from being a baby to leaving home. Fantastic bloke who always had time to talk regardless of what time it was and if we had just got back from the pub and I couldn't understand a word of his drunken Welsh.

Toughest man I have ever know too. He once fell off the roof of the house landing flat on his back, and after lying on the floor for a minute, got up, dusted himself off and climbed the ladder and carried on repairing the roof tiles.

I feel very fortunate to have known "Uncle Colin".

I do but prefer them when they are 100% accurate.



I don't recall that was a particular concern before the Harrier force were withdrawn from service with 'immediate effect' yesterday in the coalition's alleged SDR. Under Labour's plan the GR9's were due to take up station on board the Queen Elizabeth class aircraft carriers as soon as the first entered service (last time I looked that was due around 2015 - transferring from operational duties on the Ark Royal which would then be decommissioned) allowing for continuity of any required carrier based fast-jet capability. That sounded like a strategic plan to me, not the treasury driven dog's dinner served up on Tuesday.

On a similar theme this item on E-Bay may interest you

Considering the UK, West Germany and Italy withdrew from the FEFA (Future European Fighter Aircraft) project with France and Spain in the mid-eighties to form the EFA programme (basically as France were insisting on there being a navalised version included in the development phase) that seems reasonably unlikely to be the major stumbling block. France went their own way with the Dassault Rafale. Tidy little thing it is too. And incidentally Spain joined the EFA project much to France's dismay shortly after.




Whatever you claim, the Typhoon is here and here to stay as the backbone of the present and future RAF in a developing multi-role capability. It has been declared 'combat ready' in the air-to-ground role for over two years now, four have been stationed at RAF Mount Pleasant (no not Batley) in defence of the Falklands for the past 12 months and I see upwards of a dozen training flights undertaken on almost any given weekday where I live. Not forgetting the QRA interceptions when the Bears come snooping, testing our air-space.

From an enthusiast's point of view, I don't particularly like them, I much prefer the Tornado in both the F3 and GR4 variants but times move on.



So similar to Germany wishing to leave the Eurofighter project after the costs of re-unification mounted and Helmut Kohl had given a pre-election commitment to do so but in the end felt unable due to the contractual obligations, financial commitment, defence jobs involved etc. Again more proof (if any were needed) that difficulties in defence procurement are not just a UK nevermind a Labour issue just as Tom King had to commit the then Tory government to give an assurance to his German counterpart to underwrite the project when the decision on the competing radar systems threatened to split the project.



If you say so.

Just a couple of things here, the Typhoon is a multi-role platform including (but not restricted to) that of air superiority fighter, the intended replacement for the F3. 11 Squadron, based at RAF Leeming, stood down as an F3 operator in October of 2005 before re-forming as a Typhoon unit in March 2007 at RAF Coningsby. In early 2008, 25 Squadron, also based at RAF Leeming, was disbanded, along with 56 Squadron, the Tornado F3 Operational Conversion Unit at RAF Leuchars. This left 43 Squadron and 111 Squadron, along with 1435 Flight in the Falklands as the last remaining users of the RAF’s F3s. As already stated 1435 flight (RAF Mount Pleasant) re-equipped with Typhoons September 2009. 43 Squadron disbanded in July 2009. 111 Squadron holds the distinction of being the final RAF Tornado F3 squadron.

Meanwhile the Typhoons currently equip 3, 11, 17 and 29 Squadrons at RAF Coningsby (housing the Operation Evaluation Unit and Operational Conversion Unit) and are responsible for the Southern sector QRA duties. The Northern QRA duties are still with 111 Squadron at RAF Leuchars but that is scheduled to pass to the re-formed 6 Squadron (Typhoons) early in 2011 at the Scottish base under current plans.

If the Typhoon is not yet up to the task as you suggest you have to wonder where all the F3 Squadrons and aircraft have gone or is the mounting of CAP over UK airspace no longer neccessary in the post 9/11 world where terroists wouldn't dare try and take control of commercial flights and use them as flying bombs.

As far as it lagging behind 'the competition' unless you believe the Americans are about to become or if not to start selling Raptors to the enemy (whoever they might be) why would comparisons to the F22 be in any way shape or form be particularly relevant to anything of interest?



No argument over the qualities of the GR4 but I've yet to see one operate without the need of a bare minimum 2,500 feet (probably longer if carrying ordenance) of well manicured flat concrete and tarmac under friendly control or operate from a carrier that can be independantly positioned within reach of potential enemy targets.

Why the need to choose between aircraft (while similar in task) are very different in versatility, it's not even as if the Harrier is almost time expired or anything, oh yeah I forgot ...... we can't afford both after the SDSR - Strategic Defence and Spending Review.



So lets kiss goodbye to the enormous investment already made in our Nimrod MRA4 and buy something American off the shelf instead? Is that what they've said they will do, if so i think I missed it. The planes are all but complete (some of them are already) I've seen the new Nimrod perform flypasts at airshows for the past two years. Bugger any hope of deterring a submarine-based blockade of Britain. Presumably that is not expected to happen before the end of the week.

As Nimrod MRA4 is (... er was) primarily designed to carry out anti-submarine warfare and long range surveillance. It takes decades of training and operational experience to build up the knowledge and skills required for such specialist tasks. Therefore, unless there is a plan to buy the USN P-8 Poseidon (or modified P-3 Orions) this capability is lost. No doubt the Government will hope the French, Germans, Italians, Spanish, Norwegians, Pakistanis, Indians, Chinese, Americans, Canadians, Australians, New Zealanders, Japanese, Koreans, Thais, etc etc etc - all of whom retain this un-needed capability will help Britain out in a crisis!