Why we need the Eurofighter Typhoon
This picture and link - http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/6957589.stm - are just a little riposte to all the commentators and pundits - both anti-defence spending Labourites and anti-European defence collaboration Tories - who have criticised the MoD's procurement of the Eurofighter Typhoon over the years. The usual theme has been "it's a Cold War era aircraft, why do we need it now?"
In the picture with the RAF Eurofighter is a Russian Bear strategic bomber. Coming to check out the UK's air defences. Just in a friendly way of course. On Friday last week.
When your strategic rivals from the Cold War start sending Cold War hardware to carry out Cold War era missions probing your airspace, using aircraft that can also carry nuclear bombs, perhaps having bought aircraft good enough to get up there and respond looks like a good idea.
posted by Luke Akehurst at 10:13 pm
9 Comments:
and it's higher and higher and higher...
1:53 am, August 22, 2007
Note they still have a nice Red Star painted on the tail.
7:45 am, August 22, 2007
Anything with "euro" reminds me of airbus...
But I certainly don't dispute the need for an up to date RAF and armed forces generally.
9:45 am, August 22, 2007
That ex-KGB gangster Putin is running rings around the West with his stunts. He sends an aging bomber over international airspace and we end up in hysterics with the likes of Luke wanting to re-ignite the cold war (if you can do that?). No doubt this is something that Bush will make mileage out of as well.
The West's hyper-responses are playing well for Putin's domestic audience - the gallery he is reality playing to. Are we in the West so bone-headed that we learned nothing from the Cold-war (which, by the way we are supposed to 'have won').
Meantime, China, whilst updating its armed forces, is far more intelligently expending much of its treasure of building trade and cultural links around the globe - rather than the stupidity of the USA expending its blood and treasure increasingly on overseas military actions.
10:06 am, August 22, 2007
Have you got security clearance to release this "damning" picture? Which could have been taken anywhere and anywhen by the way.
Are you accusing the Russian state (and naturally the left in Hackney egging them on) from planning to bomb London to rubble, soon?
Or are they just having a laugh at your expense, and mine?
Is there any way do you think that arms races tend to result in expenditure being ramped up on all sides and that a bit of "calm down, calm down" might save us all some cash and some sleepless nights - even if it impacts into your fees from the arms industry with all the sleaze that implies?
10:51 am, August 22, 2007
The red star on the tail is called a decal in US or a transfer in UK and these can be applied to the control surfaces of any toy aircraft.
Does Putin have any interest in keeping strength and threat high on the agenda?
Couldn't we have sent up Branson in a balloon with an offer of a nice broadband, mobile telephony and cable TV package?
10:54 am, August 22, 2007
Nope, we don't need it. Waste of money.
12:45 pm, August 24, 2007
"that a bit of "calm down, calm down" might save us all some cash and some sleepless nights"
Nail on head from Chris there. I mean Putin's a nasty git who's presided over a gangster state in which journalists are intimidated and sometimes killed, and 'might is right' has become the rule of law. But he ain't about to invade any time soon.
Perhaps it's not in Luke's own interests, but I do wonder when sober perspectives will return to discussions about international relations.
11:18 am, August 25, 2007
Spot on, Luke. What's your thoughts on the Shanghai Co-operation Organisation?
For those who don't know, it's a grouping of Russia, China, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan that has already conducted joint military exercises and is planning to develop an energy club. I see this as a future counter to NATO and the EU.
1:05 am, August 27, 2007
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