Originally posted by na grohmiti
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Just to touch base on just what would be the minimum number of fighters required, 8. That is 4 on QRA duty, 2 for training and 2 in maintenance. And in order to have 24/& QRA cover you need a minimum of around 32 pilots each needing around 200 hrs p.a. so that the aircraft are worn out after 10 years. What the aircraft for longer multiply the numbers.
So how many MRTT aircraft would be needed? Well 1 for QRA plus 1 back-up, 1 in maintenance and because it is being sold as a tanker/transport at least 1 for transport duties. Even if the tankers are individually more expensive than the fighters (JAS-39s) the total cost is still less, so far so good. But the tankers need two pilot and a loadmaster each, and given that the requirements on pilots will be similar to what is needed on the fighters we need 24-32 pilots. These will also need a minimum number of flight hours p.a even if a lot can be done with simulators and this is where the higher cost per flight hour will begin to eat away at the potential cost benefit.
And then I do doubt the need, a QRA set-up will need a ready pair with aback-up pair should there be any issue with the first aircraft. So while the first pair are off on the intercept the second can be made ready for launch. This means that if fuel becomes an issue replacement aircraft can be sent up. True the RAF launch a tanker when they scamble their QRA fighters but the UK Air Defence Zone is a great deal larger than what we have so fuel is more an issue. Launching from Lossie, flying north to take over from the Norwegians between the Faroes and Shetland Islands, then down the west coast of Ireland before handing off to French or the QRA South from Coningsby requires a lot of juice.
IMHO it would be better investing is more than the minimum number of fighters not only to extend the service life of the system but to increase the robustness also.
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