What are they trying to do to the military!

[Steve Brew]

If this becomes a reality, it would almost certainly mean the end of 41 Squadron, which flies both the Harrier and the Tornado - a total of only seven aircraft. They only just survived the retirement of the Jaguars in April 2006! I hope, though, that as an Operational Evaluation Unit, they might still survive in some capacity, maybe with Eurofighters, which are also based at Coningsby.

[BillG]

Yet again we are faced with the Whitehall Warriors making decisions that the front line troops have to cope with!

[Resmoroh]

I am beginning to think that we may be looking at the start of the end of manned fighters, bombers, and recce a/c. As has been said, the Mud Movers may have a couple of crew up the front end, and one down the back end looking after the cargo or Self Loading Freight for a few more years.
There is also the saving on aircrew training. The UAVs of the future will, of course, have to be "flown" by Pilots, etc, but the new generation of UAV pilots is already in training. Have you ever watched what 14-yr old children (male and female!) can do with fighters on a Flight Simulator?
Glad I did my aviation career when flying was a 'team game'!
Peter Davies

[Oggie2620]

I agree with you gents... I am reading a book called Right of the line at the moment and typically the governments of those days were cutting and cutting the military wont they learn from history!
Dee

[G3XOI]

It is truly said, "Those who know no history are doomed to repeat it.

Remember the 1930s? And probably the decade before every war we have ever fought.

[Ross_McNeill]

Ladies and Gents,

As a future policy topic I feel that it is more suited to resolution on boards such as PPruNe than here as a research topic.

Ross

[Resmoroh]

Ross,
It shall be so. Pity. Could have been an instructive debate!
Peter Davies