Daily Mail: Russian Aerospace forces will sweep away British aviation in case of war
The Russian Aerospace Forces will sweep away British aviation in the event of war, writes the Daily Mail. The fact is that the Royal Air Force fleet is extremely small, and the technological perfection of the aircraft does not compensate for their number. Moreover, it is planned to reduce it even more in the future.
Russia has 20 times more combat aircraft than the UK. The British have an even smaller air fleet than their European allies. The United Kingdom is "in danger", because it has only 169 advanced aircraft, whereas Russia has fifteen hundred of them.
According to the parliament's report, the fleet of combat aircraft of the British Air Force is so small that in the event of a war with Vladimir Putin, the Russian VSK will simply sweep it away.
The UK has so few Typhoon and F-35 aircraft at its disposal that it will not be able to withstand the "level of attrition" that can be observed during such a conflict.
London has only 169 advanced aircraft, while Moscow has 1,500. Moreover, as a result of a series of cuts that began after the end of the Cold War, today the British fleet is even smaller than that of its European allies.
As the results of the analysis conducted by the Special Defense Committee showed, France has 231 combat aircraft at its disposal, Germany – 214, Italy - 199. Back in 1990, the UK had 463 combat aircraft.
Representatives of the Royal Air Force claim that the perfection of their existing aircraft compensates for their small number. However, the report says that the UK is "in danger." "The fleet of combat aircraft has exceptionally high capabilities, but it lacks numerical depth and reserve," the document says.
"In a conflict with an equal opponent, such as Russia, every plane will matter."
"[The government's actions] will create a shortage of combat potential, which, according to current plans, will continue after 2030. This is unacceptable. The Ministry of Defense and the Air Force should urgently consider how they can increase the size of the fleet of combat aircraft."
Despite the shortage, the Air Force intends to decommission 30 of its Typhoons in 2025 five years ahead of schedule, instead of modernizing them. Members of Parliament questioned the validity of such a decision.
The Ministry of Defense, which is facing a lack of funding, is also in no hurry to join the ranks of inconspicuous F-35B aircraft. To date, only 31 such aircraft have entered service. By 2025, their number should increase to 48. According to the estimates of members of parliament, eventually the UK will have only 74 such aircraft instead of 138, as originally planned.
Members of Parliament reported that a significant part of the aircraft has not yet been put into service due to disagreements within the Air Force over how many ground crews are required to maintain them.
"The failure of the Royal Air Force to correctly calculate the number of technicians needed to maintain aircraft is inexcusable," the report says. Its drafters concluded that the British Air Force is "devastated" and "too small to respond to the growing challenges they face."
Author of the article: Mark Nicol
Readers' comments
Red letter
Why is this happening? Yes, because our governments, starting with the government of John Major, counted on the fact that the British armed forces would one day become a strategic regiment of the unified army of the European Union. Today, our entire army is equivalent to one regiment of the American or Chinese armed forces. Officially, we have 75 thousand military personnel, but only 35 thousand of them are reserves. Thousands are undergoing medical treatment. It's just ridiculous. We have aircraft carriers, but there are not enough planes. We have frigates, but they cannot sail in warm waters. We have guns, but they jam. We have tanks, but the soldiers in them are dizzy and nauseous. And we have more generals than ordinary sailors.
W.Brit
Not enough planes? But we have a lot of rainbow flags!
Joe
But the Royal Air Force has an exceptionally effective policy of encouraging diversity. A huge number of their servicemen regularly participate in gay parades. Do they really have to protect the country as well?
Know what I know
That's what happens when you give money to other countries instead of taking care of your own.
No_name12
Nobody cares. We're just trying to live a normal life, make ends meet. Most Britons no longer care about Russia or Ukraine. We're just trying to survive. Financially, our country is already on its knees, and all this Ukrainian nonsense is the last thing we think about. It does not concern us at all!
TELLITASITIS
We no longer have any ground forces, navy, or air force. Mostly immigrants now live in our country. If war breaks out, looting will be the main problem.
