Today's Defence news includes the Red Arrows and Afghanistan.
RED ARROWS
This morning’s Times and Telegraph both pick up on the story that the Red Arrows will not perform aerobatic stunts at Farnborough Air Show, Britain’s biggest air show, for the first time in more than 50 years because of safety fears after the Shoreham disaster. Coverage followed an RAF briefing yesterday, which is backed up with a statement on the Red Arrows website, noting how RAF chiefs have decided that the risks of flying high-speed manoeuvres at low heights over built-up areas are no longer “tolerable”. However, Air Vice-Marshal Andrew Turner, in charge of safety for the Red Arrows, said there were many more shows scheduled.
An RAF Spokesperson said:
The Red Arrows will be flying at the Farnborough International Airshow and engaging with both adults and young people on all three days that are open to the general public.
However, the high speed and dynamic nature of the traditional Red Arrows' display is no longer appropriate due to the large amounts of local housing, business areas and major transport links underneath the planned display area.
In addition to the Red Arrows flypast with the new F35 Lightning II aircraft on 11 July, further Red Arrows flypasts in different formations are now planned for 15, 16 and 17 July. These additional flypasts, together with more exciting opportunities for the public to engage with the Red Arrows team on the ground, and other RAF air and ground displays, will ensure the Airshow remains a truly exciting, inspirational and entertaining family event.
For the remainder of the display season the Red Arrows are looking forward to displaying as usual at multiple events all over the UK and abroad.
HELMAND
This morning’s Times reports that American troops are fighting to hold the capital of Helmand after a fresh Taliban assault left the city on the brink of collapse, according to local officials. The article states that US special forces were airlifted into Lashkar Gah, the former stronghold of British troops in Afghanistan, when Islamist fighters launched a new offensive against the city at the weekend. The piece speculates that theTaliban resurgence has forced President Obama to rethink plans to bring home almost half of the 9,800 US troops by the end of the year. Speaking at the NATO Defence Ministerial, the Defence Secretary is also quoted in the piece stating how “troop numbers are being looked at” and that “this is the wrong time to walk away from Afghanistan.”
IMAGE OF THE DAY
British airborne forces are training alongside NATO counterparts to develop their ability to work together to deliver a Swift Response to international crises.
16 Air Assault Brigade is on Exercise Swift Response, which brings together more than 5,000 personnel from 10 nations and takes place in Poland and Germany between May 27-June 26, 2016.
Under the command of Headquarters 16 Air Assault Brigade some 2,000 troops are taking part, the largest British contingent to deploy on a NATO exercise in 2016. The joint force includes 3 PARA Battlegroup, including engineer, artillery, logistics, signals, medical, provost and ISTAR support; Apache attack helicopters from 4 Regiment Army Air Corps; and RAF Chinook and Puma support helicopters and C-130 Hercules transport aircraft.
The training involves mass parachute jumps and air assault operations as part of a simulated mission to restore stability to a troubled region. It is key to developing interoperability with 82nd Airborne Division and 11e Brigade Parachutists, the Brigades key partners in the US and French armies respectively, as well as wider allies.
Photo credit: - Corporal Andy Reddy RLC