SAVE RAF COTTESMORE
- Thread starter chrisb1357
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Not just chinooks, don't forget the Merlins (a friend who is a Merlin pilot would kill me if I didn't chip that in!).
From Poland to Germany.
Doesn't matter how many people sign the petition, it will close down if the MOD want to save money not on a matter of a petition. Which is a shame as there is also rumors of either Lossie or Kinloss closing down as well. Which I quite fancy as a first post.
Supposedly it won't be for a good 5-6 years yet?
They are skimping though, even cancelled the long march this year. (which I was meant to be going to)
Exactly. I really like Cottesmore and the Harrier. I don't like the cuts to defence especially when we are still deployed to Afghanistan (among other places) but sad fact we (as a country) are in serious financial trouble.......
The defence budget is overspent by £36 billion.
The banking bailout has cost £850 billion.
Quantitative easing is costing over £200 billion.
New nuclear power stations to keep the lights on will cost at least £30 billion.
Climate change commitment of $10 billion.
Trident could cost anything between £75 and £135 billion depending on who you listen to.
Add to that £120 billion in pensions, £120 billion in health care and £57.7 billion on welfare we spend each year.
There are going to be cuts in areas we don't like and you could argue the loss of the Nimrod MR2 / R1 is a more serious loss.
We will lose a squadron of Harriers in April 2010 and the rest of the fleet is meant to be moving to RAF Wittering by April 2011. Even then RAF Cottesmore won't be closing as it is used by BAE Systems to service the Harrier (including the JUMP upgrade line) and that won't be moving to 2013. That is assuming they don't retire the Harrier at that point as is strongly rumoured.
At the moment you couldn't move any additional Harriers to RAF Wittering as they only have one hangar and that's full of 20(R) Squadron Harriers. So, at the very least they will need to build a hangar.
This is not to say it's a done deal. There is a major defence review due next year and by then we are likely to have a different government. At this point we might not close Cottesmore or we might lose Harrier totally, only time will tell.
Rubbish. The Harrier, especially in it's GR9A form, is a very capable close air support aircraft, not to mention the only aircraft that we can use from our carriers. Without it we couldn't have operated out of Kandahar as early as we did, providing much needed support to the troops on the ground.
Soldato
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Make use of them often do you?
Soldato
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Im not sure why people think things like the Chinook can operate out in Afgahnistan and other overseas operations properly without base back at home for the major overhaul stuff.
Should we close all the RAF stations and use the money to buy a load of Chinooks to run into the ground. Afterall thats what The Sun probably leads the UK masses to believe.
THIS!
Soldato
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I'm not sure why people think all RAF bases can take aircraft.
I'm not sure why people think a Harrier base could service a Chinook.
The Harrier fleet is about to start going EOL with the Lighting on the way. And Nearby Wittering can service Harriers.
The people who want to close Cottesmore know what they are doing and have done the maths. They are sure why.
I'm sure my local towns that rely on them do from an economic stand point, which is more a concern to me than some far flung place in England I care not a jot about.
Also, I'm sure the UK would be very prudent to cut back on its North Sea defence.. such a worthwhile and thoughtout plan it is indeed.
/Applauds
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Soldato
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No shortage of RAF bases in that area, even a USAF base.
Cottesmore is in the south east, and what were we planning to fly out of Kinloss? The Nimrods are finished, nearby Lossiemouth is remaining open.
In what area?
Where you getting your news?
RAF Lossiemouth and Kinloss are both supposed to be in the juggle, and it will put RAF resources (millitary and civilian) over the North Sea on the edge to say the least from what I have taken from commentators..
Where you getting your news?
RAF Lossiemouth and Kinloss are both supposed to be in the juggle, and it will put RAF resources (millitary and civilian) over the North Sea on the edge to say the least from what I have taken from commentators..
RAF bases can and do get reopened. They aren't gone forever. Just mothballed.
Wait 20 years for all this recession to be long over and you might find Cottesmore is reopened with some new responsibility... Might not be Harriers next time. Could be a squad of Eurofighters or something.
It ain't all bad.
Wait 20 years for all this recession to be long over and you might find Cottesmore is reopened with some new responsibility... Might not be Harriers next time. Could be a squad of Eurofighters or something.
It ain't all bad.
Just wait for the SDR, many more bases will go, it's also funny how in the good times the civvies around the bases **** the RAF off, but as soon as they are threatened by closure, they are suddenly the best thing going!
It depends on how you define 'about'. The original out of service date for the Harrier GR9 / T12 is 2018 although under the current climate it will more than likely be moved forward.
Wittering could service the Harriers but I'm not sure if the current HMF hanger would be able to handle the numbers.
The people doing the maths have offered up Cottesmore, if it's cost effective to shut it is another story. You are looking to build two hangars and fit Wittering with the radar service that Cottesmore currently supplies it.
It may be a smoke and mirrors and Cottesmore will in effect stay open as long as the Harrier is in service. On the other hand it may mean the early demise of the Harrier along with Cottesmore (as a fast jet base anyhow).
I'd class Cottesmore as the Midlands but if you are talking about dividing the country into four parts then yes we have a number of RAF bases in that area and six USAF bases (more depending on where you do your country split).
All of these aren't flying bases though and you can't have all your assests in one place, not to mention items like hangar space, impact to the local community, noise, air space etc.
Kinloss hosts non flying assests as well as the Nimrod MR2.
There is no news apart from whats allready been in the press.
Civvy job loses are the only thing announced but no base is safe apart from maybe Brize and Conningsby.
EDIT: Excluding the obvious loss of the Nimrod MR2.
Will getting rid of Kinloss actully save any money though? I don't know a great deal but I thought they are the only RAF base to have the Nimrod aircraft, so if they get rid of RAF Kinloss they will just end up moving all the Nimrod aircraft and personel elsewhere.