The failed Prime Ministers, Truss and Johnson, relentlessly bang on about giving our “jets” to Ukraine. The question has to be why, and what?
Firstly, when they refer to jets, they obviously mean the Lightning F35’s (26 based at Marham and HMS Queen Elizabeth {3 test jets in the USA and one lost {total 30}), and the Typhoon FGR4’s (based at Lossiemouth, Conningsby and Mount Pleasant, plus detachments such as Red Flag). The numbers are minuscule, 26 Lightning F35’s and 101 Typhoons, as all the Tranche 1 Typhoon versions are all in storage and probably robbed blind. Plus to resurrect the Tranche 1 Typhoons serious money would need to be spent to get them to FGR4 standard. Interesting to read the press today, they constantly get the numbers wrong.
Johnson has said that we should give all our Typhoons to the Ukraine, well to reiterate we only have 101 theoretical aircraft to give. How many are actually serviceable to give, would be the real question? A very small amount, plus who will fly them? It can’t be the Ukraine pilots, as it takes years to train a pilot to fly a Typhoon. A select committee briefing earlier this month revealed it took one pilot, 10 years of training to become an F35 operational pilot. TEN YEARS.
The next question, is if we give our Typhoon fleet to Ukraine, then what do we have to have defend ourselves, Battle of Britain vintage Spitfires? Surely, our politicians must have learned something from WW2, we need a credible defence, we don’t just give sound bites to please the hungry press. Therefore, why doesn’t Sunk say no, we do not have the aircraft to give. One positive, is that we can train pilots, but the Royal Air Force already has a huge problem training its own pilots, again it was briefed by CAS (Chief of Air Staff) in February that the pilot strength within the Royal Air Force is at 95% and only because 100 pilots chose to rejoin during Covid. This consequently, means we can’t even train our own Royal Air Force pilots.
Finally, and probably most importantly, if we were to give our Typhoon FGR4’s with RAF pilots to the Ukraine, then this would indeed be WW3, as we would be fighting alongside the Ukraines. Not forgetting China is being courted by Russia to supply munitions for its army. Poland, the USA and others are already sending huge amounts of hardware to the Ukraine.
What is clear, our measly defence spending budget of 2% GDP must be restored to levels seen at the end of the Cold War, 5%. If this is done we can rebuild the Army, which has its lowest numbers for over 200 years. The RAF most definitely needs a huge injection of capability, drones, early warning aircraft, tankers and Typhoons. The Navy strength is half of that since we fought in the Falklands.
To conclude, we need a strong leader with common sense at the helm of this country, who can tell the truth, without resorting to populistic views that bear no relation to the real world.
And yes, I am apprehensive of what may happen, Putin thought this war would be over in days, it’s clear the 4 provinces of Ukraine being fought over are important to both sides. If we continue as we are, we eventually become embroiled in this futile war, with troops on the ground and aircraft in the sky. Dialogue is needed before further escalation and world annihilation.
Yesterdays select committee briefing: https://parliamentlive.tv/event/index/dc1cdb2d-3ca4-48ca-8548-2142308b883d
