ebj1248650 From United States of America, joined Jun 2005, 1932 posts, RR: 2 Posted (10 months 2 weeks 5 days 1 hour ago) and read 4852 times:
Two of my friends saw what appeared to be a tanker and four jet fighters flying over our building in San Antonio around noon or so today. Both said the fighters appeared to be delta wing aircraft and were certain the planes weren't F-16 or some other American designed airplanes. Can anyone in San Antonio who might have seen this formation clarify what types of airplanes they were?
autothrust From Switzerland, joined Jun 2006, 1480 posts, RR: 8 Reply 2, posted (10 months 2 weeks 4 days 11 hours ago) and read 4524 times:
Quoting Oroka (Reply 1): Probably German Typhoons finishing up with Red Flag. I think I read Germany sent 6 Typhoons this year.
Red Flag was in June and in Alaska.
Quote:
Red Flag, which lasted from 11th until June 22nd, provided an opportunity for the participating nations to gain invaluable experience in tactical missions, collective defence and conflict management. Fighter Wing JG 74 took part in the exercise in readiness for its assignment to the NATO reaction force this year, assuring the unit has the right level of interoperability and capabilities for such a role.
Marc Grüne, Lt. Col. of Fighter Wing 74, said: “The German Air Force’s decision to take part in exercise Red Flag - Alaska offered a great opportunity for Fighter Wing 74 to train, test and improve personal skills and aircraft capabilities. We wanted to see if the Eurofighter is capable of everything we think it is. And the aircraft is definitely capable.
sweair From Sweden, joined Nov 2011, 1538 posts, RR: 0 Reply 3, posted (10 months 2 weeks 4 days 8 hours ago) and read 4420 times:
When Us shifts its focus from Europe to south east Asia there will be a vacuum around EU for a while, are Europeans up to the task? As it seems the Libya campaign shortage of weapons and resources were apparent after just 11 weeks, the Us had to step up and resupply the European members.
I think we have lived under the Us umbrella for too long and are not used to taking the full responsibility and around EU. With the recent defence cuts in EU, things will only get harder for us to fill that role.
jderden777 From United States of America, joined Jan 2000, 1747 posts, RR: 33 Reply 5, posted (10 months 2 weeks 3 days 22 hours ago) and read 4163 times:
Quoting TGIF (Reply 4): Too early for these perhaps?
Probably not too early. They could have stopped/flown over San Antonio on their way to Davis Monthan for a couple weeks of workups prior to going to Nellis for Red Flag.
GDB From United Kingdom, joined May 2001, 12701 posts, RR: 80 Reply 6, posted (10 months 2 weeks 3 days 20 hours ago) and read 4100 times:
Quoting sweair (Reply 3): When Us shifts its focus from Europe to south east Asia there will be a vacuum around EU for a while, are Europeans up to the task? As it seems the Libya campaign shortage of weapons and resources were apparent after just 11 weeks, the Us had to step up and resupply the European members.
I suspect some European Air forces, certainly the RAF and the French, would answer 'speak for yourselves' on that.
While some smaller AF's did run short of munitions, the RAF did not, while production of the Brimstone weapon was stepped up to meet demand, which it did sucessfully - but that is made in the UK, not the US. Note also the RAF also deploy this weapon in Afghanistan. There were no reported shortages of Storm Shadow or of LGB's either.
Nor of the French ASSM, their version of the Storm Shadow and their other systems.
As for the others, better a smaller AF makes the effort in the first place and runs short of weapons as a result, than does nothing at all, unlike some other rather larger AF's from larger European nations, they know who they are.
The issue therefore, which you rightly raise, is perhaps not whether European AF's are up to the task - one agreed by the UN in the case of Libya - but why some NATO European AF's usually shoulder all the burden compared to others on the continent. This is a political rather than a military issue.
Tancrede From Finland, joined May 2006, 240 posts, RR: 0 Reply 7, posted (10 months 2 weeks 2 days 2 hours ago) and read 3769 times:
Quoting GDB (Reply 6): I suspect some European Air forces, certainly the RAF and the French, would answer 'speak for yourselves' on that.
While some smaller AF's did run short of munitions, the RAF did not, while production of the Brimstone weapon was stepped up to meet demand, which it did sucessfully - but that is made in the UK, not the US. Note also the RAF also deploy this weapon in Afghanistan. There were no reported shortages of Storm Shadow or of LGB's either.
Nor of the French ASSM, their version of the Storm Shadow and their other systems.
As for the others, better a smaller AF makes the effort in the first place and runs short of weapons as a result, than does nothing at all, unlike some other rather larger AF's from larger European nations, they know who they are.
The issue therefore, which you rightly raise, is perhaps not whether European AF's are up to the task - one agreed by the UN in the case of Libya - but why some NATO European AF's usually shoulder all the burden compared to others on the continent. This is a political rather than a military issue.
As for shortages, it is right that UK and France were rather short of UAVs and then US had to come to Libya with some Predators-like drones. But otherwise, both countries had enough weanpons to procede with these operations until the end of the war.
garnetpalmetto From United States of America, joined Oct 2003, 5244 posts, RR: 55 Reply 8, posted (10 months 2 weeks 2 days 2 hours ago) and read 3765 times:
GDB From United Kingdom, joined May 2001, 12701 posts, RR: 80 Reply 10, posted (10 months 2 weeks 2 days 1 hour ago) and read 3755 times:
Quoting Tancrede (Reply 7): As for shortages, it is right that UK and France were rather short of UAVs and then US had to come to Libya with some Predators-like drones. But otherwise, both countries had enough weanpons to procede with these operations until the end of the war.
True, with drones, at the moment, they are token assets.
Presumably the Anglo-French effort to develop UCAV's recognises that.
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