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| Britain | |
| SAS outraged over plans to axe special-ops planes | |
| 2013-06-11 | |
| Top brass are poised to scrap the eight dedicated transport aircraft, on standby to whisk the Who Dares Wins heroes into troublespots. Replacements for the ageing Hercules C-130Ks -- due for the chop in October -- ARE being lined up but not until late next year. Horrified insiders fear it means the famous force, full name the Special AIR Service, could meanwhile find itself grounded. An insider told The Sun: "The SAS are fuming. "No one has been prepared to make a decision. It's been a case of kicking the can down the road. "The plan is to take the Hercules out of service. If that happens there will be a gap in capability. The special forces know these planes are vital to the success of covert missions across the globe. "They simply cannot do without them. Unless a replacement can be found, losing the Hercules is strategic madness." The aircraft -- dubbed "Fat Alberts" since the 1960s -- are fitted with surveillance and communications gear, extra large fuel tanks, plus beefed-up defence and weapons systems. The customised planes are operated by the RAF's Special Duties 47 Squadron solely for special forces missions. They have seen action in the Falklands War, the Balkans conflict, Iraq and Afghanistan. Recently they were used to rescue oil workers in Libya. Their service life has already been extended by one year and some chiefs are unwilling to keep them flying longer. But senior figures within the SAS, and sister unit the Special Boat Service, have complained at the highest level that losing them will jeopardise operations. There are also fears troops' lives could be put at risk until the new Airbus A400m Atlas planes arrive.
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| Posted by:Besoeker |
| #1 Airframes likely not safe for the kind of stress anymore. It's not money, it's age. |
| Posted by: Shipman 2013-06-11 17:50 |