According to the Defence White Paper 1983, the Royal Air Force musters only 45 front-line squadrons. In 1976, it was recovering from a major cut, not so much in the 'teeth', but in the 'tail'. Today, in the light of the 'Falklands' fallout', some elements of the 'tail' are being restored in a more logical (some would say) manner, the major element on this front being the acquisition of TriStar tanker transports - VC10 tankers already having been planned prior to the Falklands Campaign.
In terms of combat aircraft we have seen the virtual departure of the Vulcan, always a big hit at airshows, which made its operational debut in the twilight of its career. In its place comes the Tornado GR.l - MRCA of old - which is now in service with three operational squadrons. Trusty stalwarts in the shape of the Harrier, Jaguar, Buccaneer, Phantom and Lightning remain with us, although successors for some, if not all, of these types are now planned or building. The next generation of V/STOL, or to use the operational acronym STOVL (short take-off, vertical landing), will still be a Harrier, but of a generation spawned in the United States as the AV-8B. The Lightning will eventually give way to the Tornado F.2 air defence variant, while Canberra, Buccaneer and Jaguar will be replaced by Tornado GR.l. The Phantom will remain for a while longer, and to replace attrition some ex-US Navy F-4J Phantoms will enter service next year (1984). Its successor will probably be based on the Anglo-German-Italian Agile Combat Aircraft, although not under the Panavia banner.
Название: RAF Air Power Today
Автор: M.Gething & L.Peacock
Издательство: Arms & Armour Press
Год издания: 1984
Серия: Warbirds Illustrated 25
ISBN: 0-85368-634-3
Язык: english
Страниц: 66
Формат: pdf
Размер: 14 MB