Tornado jets fighting IS: all is not well at RAF Akrotiri

[Stratofreighter]

Hmmm....
http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-30338659

Some excerpts:

Raids against Islamic State are being conducted from RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus "with broken jets and tired and fed-up people", BBC Newsnight has been told.

In a letter, a serviceman said the base was being neglected, morale was poor and ground crews had taken to eating humanitarian rations meant for Iraqis.

Newsnight also understands only 16 of 102 RAF Tornado jets still meet full combat standards.

Shortly after operations began against Islamic State in September, the detachment of Tornado strike aircraft was increased from six to eight.

Newsnight understands this increase was necessary in order to ensure there were always two aircraft available for bombing missions.

Only 16 of the RAF's 102 Tornado GR4s meet "diamond fleet" standard, which is the aircraft fitted with all of the equipment necessary for combat.

Many of the remainder are now mothballed.

Half of these top specification jets are now in Akrotiri, but Newsnight has learned that due to their age and long use, the battle to keep them airworthy requires long hours of work by ground crews, particularly on the engines.

On many days, just two or three of the Tornadoes are available for missions over Iraq.

T shirts worn by II Squadron members at Akrotiri bore the legend "Op Till We Drop".

Defence sources argued this unofficial motto was more banter than anything else.

The unit has now returned to Britain for Christmas and the MoD said its members had been given an extra week's leave, in recognition of their recent efforts.

[Alpha Kilo One]

I guess it is the same all over Europe ....

[Le Addeur noir]

The old RAF adage needs to be remembered here,

If you can't take a joke, then don't join up.

Years of defence spending cuts coming back to bite where it hurts.

Still if the UK MoD didn't pay somewhere like 4 times the going price for their Voyagers through some (allegedly) corrupt PFI deal, there might just be a bit more money available for Tornado spares.

[Richard from Rotterdam]

Unfortunately the end of defence spending cuts in the UK is not quite in sight...

[raameagle]

Agreed Black Adder. The MOD philosophy is that we need it now but can't pay for it, so we will take on it a deal which allows us to pay later and who cares if it costs us four times as much!

Regards

[Trabanti]

Agreed. And indeed similar scenarios across the world, including here in Holland with the F-16s, NH90 and before that with the Lynxes. But this is not an entirely new situation. The Tornado always was a troublesome one. I remember spending a lot of days at Bruggen in the 80s, where 8 Tornado's would start up for a mission, 6 would appear at the last-chance checkpoint where 1 would return to its shelter. Then typically another Tornado (or 2!) would suffer an engine flame-out or other malfunction and abort its take-off run, leaving only half of the originally 8 planned to complete the mission. Having recently met a former RAFG Tornado crew-chief, this was only confirmed by more stories of mostly engine-related issues and lack of spare parts, already in those days (which reached its climax during the Desert Storm period)..

I wonder why the RAF is not fielding Typhoons for this operation? All missions except recce can be performed with the FGR.4 as well right, or are not all weapons/systems cleared yet?

Bart