Rough weather and Libya strike ops.

Bjørnar sent me this article on Sunday and I sat on it because I didn't know what to think (thanks guy!)...anyway Sharkey Ward of Falkland Islands fame and author of Phoenix Think Tank picked up the challenge and posted this response in a letter to the editor...

Sir,

 

Your article, “RAF deploy extra warplanes over Libya as rough seas hit French aircraft carrier” by Mail On Sunday Reporter, 3rd July 2011, cannot by any strength of the imagination be considered fair and balanced.

 

Naval fighters from the Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier have carried out 2000 of the 5000 strike sorties so far conducted over Libya.  Our land-based Tornado and the Typhoon aircraft have managed to contribute no more than 500 sorties – at disproportionately high cost.

 

Yes, severe weather conditions at sea can sometimes limit flying opportunities.  But that is more frequently the case with land-based air than sea-based air – as was experienced during the Bosnian crisis when carrier borne Sea Harrier aircraft often conducted the ground attack missions that the Tornado in southern Italy could not fulfil because of weather.

 

In the interest of being fair and balanced, you might wish to publish this letter and the photograph below showing the appalling conditions in which carrier borne aircraft operated during the Falklands war. My 801 Naval Air Squadron of eight aircraft flew 600 missions in six weeks in the most challenging weather conditions – and never missed a single tasked mission.

The pic that he references is above this posting.  We are obviously seeing a manipulation of the press in this ongoing turf battle between the RAF, the Royal Navy and the institutional fear that the RAF has of Harriers.

More to come I'm sure.