A Royal Air Force Tornado GR4 aircraft on patrol over the Middle
East. As a day or night, all-weather attack aircraft, it is capable of
delivering a wide variety of weapons
Royal Air Force technicians work on a Chinook helicopter during a pre-Afghanistan exercise.
women, capable systems, fit-for-purpose infrastructure and the support of civilian peers and British industry to undertake these demands
UK focus Finally, returning our focus to home territory, the role of the Royal Air Force also fully fulfills its mission here of being ‘agile, adaptable, capable’. How is this demonstrated you may
ask? The answer is best given by Air Chief Marshal Sir Stephen Dalton, Chief of the Air Staff, who, in a speech delivered in February 2010, made the following comments: ‘[...] The RAF’s most important and
enduring duty - notwithstanding current operations in Afghanistan - remains the control of the air above the UK, to ensure that the country is as safe as practicable from aerial attack. We retain Tornado and Typhoon fighters on quick reaction alert to counter this threat, ready to scramble within minutes, and with the speed and capability to quickly respond wherever required. Some might unwisely question the requirement for such capability and readiness in the 21st century; but they may be surprised at the number of times our fighters are called to alert, and indeed scrambled, to check-out aircraft be they civilian or Russian that enter the UK’s airspace without proper authorization
or identification. The fighter aircraft are supported by a team of military and civilian personnel that operate a network of air defence and air traffic control radars and provide air surveillance information as well as the command and control of any scrambled fighters. The RAF’s air defence capability to detect and deter aircraft approaching UK airspace is just one layer of a multi-layered approach that the UK Government takes to protect UK and NATO-monitored airspace.’ It is of note that this role also being
completed 24/7 in the Falkland Islands. •
For substantial input to this article, grateful thanks to Wing Commander Martin Tinworth.
www.armedforcesday.org.uk SHOW YOUR SUPPORT 41
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