British Military Current Events

[Kirkhill]

Something about trying to take a large piece of open ground, surrounded by infrastructure, and probably reinforced to the teeth due to it's importance to AD and Air Superiority; that would make not make it a target of opportunity for an airborne or air assault attack. Not unless you are willing to throw wave upon wave of pers and equipment at the problem.

Makes more sense to me to disable it with munitions and pick up the pieces as part of the rest of the offensive.

That suggests to me the notion of a frontal assault against the Rock of Gibraltar, or Severodonetsk. Why would you do it?

The world is full of commercial runways. Not all of them hard nodes. Why wouldn't you go where the enemy isn't?

 

[daftandbarmy]

That suggests to me the notion of a frontal assault against the Rock of Gibraltar, or Severodonetsk. Why would you do it?

The world is full of commercial runways. Not all of them hard nodes. Why wouldn't you go where the enemy isn't?

Because he still has air superiority, if the airfields are not taken out, and he can strafe you to pieces no matter where you try to hide.

Airfield security is the reason why the British invented the RAF Regiment, whose main role is defending airfields, after the massive screw ups in Crete 1941 where friendly forces gave up Maleme to the Germans, resulting in the loss of the Island despite massive German casualties.

RAF Regiment​

In 1941 during the Second World War German airborne forces invaded Crete, then held by Greek, British and Commonwealth forces. The German invasion succeeded in major part because of the failure of the Allied land forces to recognise the strategic importance of the airfields, and hence to defend them adequately. In consequence the RAF base at Maleme was taken largely intact by German paratroop and glider forces, albeit with heavy casualties. The Germans were then reinforced by air behind allied lines. This led eventually to the loss of the whole island and substantial Allied losses in what became known as the Battle of Crete.[9]

RAF Regiment - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[Kirkhill]

I just found a job for the Militia - defending over 500 airfields capable of receiving C17s and C130s. 500 RAF Regiment Squadrons should just about do the job.

 

[Kirkhill]

Here's a European equivalent - the difference is, of course, almost all of those have major population centres close by that could supply a body of defenders - as at Hostomel.

 

[rmc_wannabe]

Because he still has air superiority, if the airfields are not taken out, and he can strafe you to pieces no matter where you try to hide.

Airfield security is the reason why the British invented the RAF Regiment, whose main role is defending airfields, after the massive screw ups in Crete 1941 where friendly forces gave up Maleme to the Germans, resulting in the loss of the Island despite massive German casualties.

@Kirkhill D&B explained it far better than I did. Unless you have air superiority, its a risky endeavour.

Additionally, often at times you have no idea what's on that airfield until you're there. Commercial runways aren't always single use (except in the Canadian context).

I remember landing in Larnaca and seeing a lovely International Airport that would put Calgary to shame.... with AD batteries and a fair few fighter aircraft tucked away on the back end of the Airfield. I would hate to assume that the soft civilian airfield was a viable target, then have reality come and fuck my day up.

 

[daftandbarmy]

@Kirkhill D&B explained it far better than I did. Unless you have air superiority, its a risky endeavour.

Additionally, often at times you have no idea what's on that airfield until you're there. Commercial runways aren't always single use (except in the Canadian context).

I remember landing in Larnaca and seeing a lovely International Airport that would put Calgary to shame.... with AD batteries and a fair few fighter aircraft tucked away on the back end of the Airfield. I would hate to assume that the soft civilian airfield was a viable target, then have reality come and fuck my day up.

The (much maligned) RAF Regt had Scimitar, amongst other toys.

Trying to take out an airfield defended with those, with 'meat bombs' like us, might just result in some lethal track rash

 

[Kirkhill]

On 19 October 200 Rangers from the 3rd Ranger Battalion (75th Ranger Regiment) departed from four Lockheed MC-130 aircraft towards a desert landing strip south of the city, codenamed "Objective Rhino", supported by 750 U.S. soldiers from the United States Army's 101st Airborne Division to create a forward base at Camp Rhino, 100 miles south of Kandahar.[citation needed]

Fall of Kandahar - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

You can't be everywhere.

And I agree you need clear skies - locally, for a while.

As to using meat bombs - There is a reason David Stirling switched the Special Air Service to Jeeps for raiding airfields in North Africa. An exchange that is echoed by the Light Cavalry perhaps?

 

[Kirkhill]

The (much maligned) RAF Regt had Scimitar, amongst other toys.

Trying to take out an airfield defended with those, with 'meat bombs' like us, might just result in some lethal track rash

Scimitars - 30mm Rardens and 7.62mm Coax on tracks used for airfield defence

TAPV - originally designed for airfield defense as the V100 with the turret used on the AVGP Grizzly (12.7/7.62mm)

Commando® Family of Products

Enhanced combination of lethality, survivability, mobility and sustainability

www.textronsystems.com

LAV - 25 mm Bushmaster and 7.72mm Coax on wheels evolved from the AVGP Grizzly



A sound basis for a Canadian militia structure - A RAF Regiment Squadron - 171 troops complete with 81mm mortars, ATGMs, SAMs and a LAV/TAPV group of 4 to 6 vehicles.

 

[Skysix]

View attachment 72332

I just found a job for the Militia - defending over 500 airfields capable of receiving C17s and C130s. 500 RAF Regiment Squadrons should just about do the job.

What do the different symbols signify? C130/C17 dots and C5 airplane circles?

 

[Blackadder1916]

I remember landing in Larnaca and seeing a lovely International Airport that would put Calgary to shame....

And Larnaca International Airport was only developed because the main airport on the island, Nicosia International Airport, was one of the contested targets during the 1974 invasion by Turkey.

This is what the contest looked like.

 

[rmc_wannabe]

And Larnaca International Airport was only developed because the main airport on the island, Nicosia International Airport was one of the contested targets during the 1974 invasion by Turkey.

Necessity is the mother of all invention after all. I'll stop derailing the thread

 

[daftandbarmy]

Scimitars - 30mm Rardens and 7.62mm Coax on tracks used for airfield defence

TAPV - originally designed for airfield defense as the V100 with the turret used on the AVGP Grizzly (12.7/7.62mm)

Commando® Family of Products

Enhanced combination of lethality, survivability, mobility and sustainability

www.textronsystems.com

LAV - 25 mm Bushmaster and 7.72mm Coax on wheels evolved from the AVGP Grizzly



A sound basis for a Canadian militia structure - A RAF Regiment Squadron - 171 troops complete with 81mm mortars, ATGMs, SAMs and a LAV/TAPV group of 4 to 6 vehicles.

The British have an 'expeditionary' air force, which justifies the need for a committed airfield defence capability in some pretty dodgy parts of the world. The USAF is in a similar boat (plane?).

We don't.

So the need for a special airfield defence force is probably not there for Canada, IMHO.

 

[Kirkhill]

What do the different symbols signify? C130/C17 dots and C5 airplane circles?

Not sure. I took the map from this site.

FlightRadar24 Canada Airports | Plane Flight Tracker

Airports in Canada. Click on an airport to see Arrivals and Departures information and a map of the Inbound and Outbound live air traffic. Driving directions.

www.planeflighttracker.com

Here is an alternate presentation from CAPA

Canada’s airports: a support package, but rents contentious

Canadian airports, which have been hit hard by the pandemic, are calling for a freeze on rent payments and more financial support from the government. The Canadian Airports Council (CAC) has welcomed the government's CAD740 million ($614.4 million) in grants to airports, but has warned that...

centreforaviation.com

The British have an 'expeditionary' air force, which justifies the need for a committed airfield defence capability in some pretty dodgy parts of the world. The USAF is in a similar boat (plane?).

We don't.

So the need for a special airfield defence force is probably not there for Canada, IMHO.

With or without the need for an expeditionary force I suggest that the Airfield/Port defence role would provide a much needed training and organizational focus for the Canadian Militia - something that can be used to teach basic skills and provide a learning platform for the organization. Something that could make the incorporation of formed reserve subunits into the full time force easier.

And learning how to defend Calgary or Nanaimo Airport, then transposing those skills to Churchill and Alert would make it easy to provide forces for the defence of Thule, Kirkenes or Lviv airports - freeing up allied troops and our own regulars.

 

[daftandbarmy]

Not sure. I took the map from this site.

FlightRadar24 Canada Airports | Plane Flight Tracker

Airports in Canada. Click on an airport to see Arrivals and Departures information and a map of the Inbound and Outbound live air traffic. Driving directions.

www.planeflighttracker.com

Here is an alternate presentation from CAPA

View attachment 72335

Canada’s airports: a support package, but rents contentious

Canadian airports, which have been hit hard by the pandemic, are calling for a freeze on rent payments and more financial support from the government. The Canadian Airports Council (CAC) has welcomed the government's CAD740 million ($614.4 million) in grants to airports, but has warned that...

centreforaviation.com

With or without the need for an expeditionary force I suggest that the Airfield/Port defence role would provide a much needed training and organizational focus for the Canadian Militia - something that can be used to teach basic skills and provide a learning platform for the organization. Something that could make the incorporation of formed reserve subunits into the full time force easier.

And learning how to defend Calgary or Nanaimo Airport, then transposing those skills to Churchill and Alert would make it easy to provide forces for the defence of Thule, Kirkenes or Lviv airports - freeing up allied troops and our own regulars.

In empathy with my 'Brylcreemed' colleagues may I just say that the last thing you need is reservists running around on an active airfield.

Believe me.

It was bad enough with regular force 'elite' troops

 

[TacticalTea]

Not sure. I took the map from this site.

FlightRadar24 Canada Airports | Plane Flight Tracker

Airports in Canada. Click on an airport to see Arrivals and Departures information and a map of the Inbound and Outbound live air traffic. Driving directions.

www.planeflighttracker.com

Here is an alternate presentation from CAPA

View attachment 72335

Canada’s airports: a support package, but rents contentious

Canadian airports, which have been hit hard by the pandemic, are calling for a freeze on rent payments and more financial support from the government. The Canadian Airports Council (CAC) has welcomed the government's CAD740 million ($614.4 million) in grants to airports, but has warned that...

centreforaviation.com

With or without the need for an expeditionary force I suggest that the Airfield/Port defence role would provide a much needed training and organizational focus for the Canadian Militia - something that can be used to teach basic skills and provide a learning platform for the organization. Something that could make the incorporation of formed reserve subunits into the full time force easier.

And learning how to defend Calgary or Nanaimo Airport, then transposing those skills to Churchill and Alert would make it easy to provide forces for the defence of Thule, Kirkenes or Lviv airports - freeing up allied troops and our own regulars.

Airfield defence is something the reserve brigades already exercise for, to a degree.

I'm not sure we need to do any more, as opposed to acquire what we need for that task. That is, AMD capabilities.

 

[Kirkhill]

In empathy with my 'Brylcreemed' colleagues may I just say that the last thing you need is reservists running around on an active airfield.

Believe me.

It was bad enough with regular force 'elite' troops

's funny that. Because that is exactly what I saw running around Swedish and Danish airfields (mixed civ/mil use) as well as ports and harbours when I used to muck around Scandinavia.

But I guess we're different like that.

 

[Kirkhill]

Airfield defence is something the reserve brigades already exercise for, to a degree.

I'm not sure we need to do any more, as opposed to acquire what we need for that task. That is, AMD capabilities.

I'm glad to hear that - but it is that "to a degree" qualifier coupled with the "fitted for not with" mentality that defines the entirety of the CAF that bothers me.

Why not make it the focus of the effort? With that focus you might even find it easier to justify the purchase of appropriate kit to perform the task.

 

[Kirkhill]

UK buying 513 of the new model Light Weight Command Launch Units for the Javelins -

300,000,000 USD

Also included are Javelin LWCLU Basic Skills Trainers (BSTs); Javelin Outdoor Trainers (JOTs); Javelin Vehicle Launcher Electronics (JVL-Es); Javelin LWCLU Train the Trainer Package; Lifecycle Support; System Integration and Check out (SICO); Javelin Operator Manual; Technical Assistance (TAGM); and other related elements of logistical and program support.

Britain buying over 500 Javelin missile launchers

Britain has requested to buy 513 Javelin weapon systems from the U.S. for $300m.

ukdefencejournal.org.uk

Lessons from Ukraine: Britain Buys Hundreds of Lightweight Javelin Missiles

Compared to the standard launch units, the Lightweight Command Launch Units are lighter and punch farther out.

nationalinterest.org

the Javelin “can be deployed from multiple platforms and used during the day, at night and in any kind of weather. The program has also demonstrated that Javelin can be fired from a remote launcher mounted on an unmanned ground vehicle,”

 

[daftandbarmy]

Well done ma'm:

RAF 'pauses job offers for white men' to meet 'impossible' diversity targets​

The alleged move has prompted the head of recruitment for the Royal Air Force (RAF) - herself a senior female officer - to resign in recent days in protest.​

The head of RAF recruitment has resigned in protest at an "effective pause" on offering jobs to white male recruits in favour of women and ethnic minorities, defence sources have claimed.

The senior female officer apparently handed in her notice in recent days amid concerns that any such restrictions on hiring, however temporary and limited, could undermine the fighting strength of the Royal Air Force (RAF), the sources said.

They said the service was attempting to hit "impossible" diversity targets.

The defence sources accused Air Chief Marshal Sir Mike Wigston, the head of the RAF, of appearing willing to compromise UK security at a time of growing threats from Russia and China in pursuit of albeit important goals such as improving diversity and inclusion.

One of the defence sources noted how General Sir Patrick Sanders, the head of the army, has likened today's security challenges to those in the build-up to the Second World War, warning that the UK is facing its "1937 moment".

"Then you look at the head of the RAF and he's prepared to break the operational requirement of the air force just to meet diversity [targets]," the source said.


RAF 'pauses job offers for white men' to meet 'impossible' diversity targets.

 

[Halifax Tar]

Well done ma'm:

RAF 'pauses job offers for white men' to meet 'impossible' diversity targets​

The alleged move has prompted the head of recruitment for the Royal Air Force (RAF) - herself a senior female officer - to resign in recent days in protest.​

The head of RAF recruitment has resigned in protest at an "effective pause" on offering jobs to white male recruits in favour of women and ethnic minorities, defence sources have claimed.

The senior female officer apparently handed in her notice in recent days amid concerns that any such restrictions on hiring, however temporary and limited, could undermine the fighting strength of the Royal Air Force (RAF), the sources said.

They said the service was attempting to hit "impossible" diversity targets.

The defence sources accused Air Chief Marshal Sir Mike Wigston, the head of the RAF, of appearing willing to compromise UK security at a time of growing threats from Russia and China in pursuit of albeit important goals such as improving diversity and inclusion.

One of the defence sources noted how General Sir Patrick Sanders, the head of the army, has likened today's security challenges to those in the build-up to the Second World War, warning that the UK is facing its "1937 moment".

"Then you look at the head of the RAF and he's prepared to break the operational requirement of the air force just to meet diversity [targets]," the source said.


RAF 'pauses job offers for white men' to meet 'impossible' diversity targets.

Well done indeed.