Nieuw conflict dreigt over Falklands

Gestart door VandeWiel, 17/02/2010 | 17:14 uur

jurrien visser (JuVi op Twitter)

Citaat van: Thomasen op 11/02/2015 | 22:08 uur
Die Chinezen komen vermoedelijk ook nog met een lading pantservoertuigen.

Doe daar nog wat landingsvoertuigen en een LPD bij en Londen schiet echt in de stres  :cute-smile:

dudge

Citaat van: jurrien visser (JuVi op Twitter) op 11/02/2015 | 22:03 uur

Naast de eventuele Russische levering van SU-24 is er nu ook sprake van buitengewoon veel belangstelling voor de Chinese J-10 en is er een samenwerkingsovereenkomst getekend tussen Argentinië en de Chinezen op het vlak van militaire luchtvaart.

Tevens is recent bekend geworden dat de Chinezen 5 corvettes  gaan leveren... voldoende voer voor discussie dus.
Die Chinezen komen vermoedelijk ook nog met een lading pantservoertuigen.

jurrien visser (JuVi op Twitter)

Citaat van: Thomasen op 11/02/2015 | 21:09 uur
Spannende tijden voor de Britten. Maar verdere bezuinigingen kunnen wel degelijk een gevaar vormen. Zeker aangezien Argentinië ondertussen weer aan de weg aan het timmeren is. Gelukkig slopen ze daar hun economie telkens als het wat beter lijkt te gaan, dus echte zorgen hoeven nog niet, maar kan wel komen.

Naast de eventuele Russische levering van SU-24 is er nu ook sprake van buitengewoon veel belangstelling voor de Chinese J-10 en is er een samenwerkingsovereenkomst getekend tussen Argentinië en de Chinezen op het vlak van militaire luchtvaart.

Tevens is recent bekend geworden dat de Chinezen 5 corvettes  gaan leveren... voldoende voer voor discussie dus.

dudge

Spannende tijden voor de Britten. Maar verdere bezuinigingen kunnen wel degelijk een gevaar vormen. Zeker aangezien Argentinië ondertussen weer aan de weg aan het timmeren is. Gelukkig slopen ze daar hun economie telkens als het wat beter lijkt te gaan, dus echte zorgen hoeven nog niet, maar kan wel komen.

jurrien visser (JuVi op Twitter)

Setting the Stage for a Losing Falklands War

Are Britain's armed forces going over a cliff?

By Hal G.P. Colebatch – 2.11.15

Recent reports about British defense have an ominous, heading-for-a-cliff feel about them.

Many in the defense establishment and private think tanks were dismayed when the Cameron Conservative-Liberal Democrat government, despite international turbulence, cut Britain's Army from 100,000 to 82,000, its smallest since before the Napoleonic wars.

The Falklands, which it cost hundreds of British lives and five front-line ships of the shrunken, bath-tub Royal Navy to recapture from Argentina in 1982, are defended by, apart from Rapier ground-to-air missiles, just four Typhoon fighters and 1,200 ground troops. A single warship makes visits. And forces must still be found for the Middle East and NATO. Not to mention calls to intervene against the massacres of Christians in Africa.

Now ex-Defense Minister Sir Nick Harvey, speaking in a House of Commons debate, has said the government is studying proposals to axe a further 22,000 troops. "There are already paper exercises going on looking at what an army of just 60,000 would look like because of the financial crunch that the department is going to be facing." I think we can imagine only too well what it would look like, and so can the West's enemies.

He claimed defense spending would drop to 1.5 percent or less of national income. The agreed minimum among NATO members is 2 percent.

"We do not hear from any of the political parties — not mine, nor anybody else's — that defense is going to be insulated or protected from a tough comprehensive spending review later this year."

Meanwhile an increasingly tough-talking Russia has agreed to supply Argentina with 12 high-performance Sukhoi Su-24 "Fencer" supersonic, all-weather attack aircraft. They have a range of about 3,500 kilometers and laser-guided missiles.

The aircraft, which Moscow will swap for beef and wheat, would easily be able to reach the Falklands. Argentina is not going to need them against its neighbors like Paraguay, Uruguay, or even Brazil. The only imaginable use Argentina has for them would be another attempt to seize the Falklands by military invasion.

President Putin's visit to Argentina in July laid the groundwork for exchanging Russian military hardware for wheat, beef, and other goods which Moscow needs due to EU food embargoes.

Russia has been increasing its links with Argentina since 2010, when it provided Mi17 assault helicopters which are in service with the 7th Air Force Brigade.

British defense officials fear Buenos Aires would take delivery of the Russian planes well before the deployment in 2020 of the Navy's 65,000-tonne, still fitting-out aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth and its F-35B fighters, leaving a "window of vulnerability."

The nuclear deterrent would be useless: Britain is not going to nuke a country like Argentina, and in any case Argentina would presumably have prisoners from the Falklands as hostages.

Meanwhile Britain no longer has the Harrier jump-jets that gave a good account of themselves in 1982, and that might in a pinch be flown off small and improvised flight-decks, the long-range Vulcan bombers that cratered the Port Stanley runway and denied it to enemy forces, or the Nimrod long-range maritime reconnaissance aircraft.

Once an Argentine invasion force were ashore it is very difficult to see how the 1,200-man British garrison and four typhoons (plus three other aircraft) could be relieved or reinforced. Putin could be expected to enjoy the defeat of a leading NATO member.

Nor is Obama's America necessarily the reliable ally that Reagan's was. Obama has made obvious his distaste for British colonialism and even for the Anglo-American "special relationship." He might secretly relish Britain's humiliation and impotence as much as Putin would.

Tensions over the islands resurfaced after exploratory seabed drilling revealed the promise of an oil bonanza.

Despite having no local enemies, Argentina has been making expensive efforts to upgrade its air force. Last October it announced it would buy 24 Saab Gripen fighters from Brazil, which has just purchased 36 of its own, but Britain was able to quash the deal as some of the jets' parts are made in the UK.

Air Commodore Andrew Lambert, of the UK National Defense Association, said: "The Ministry of Defense should be worried. It always trots out the mantra of reviewing force levels but the only real solution is to deploy a sizeable force of Typhoons, at least a squadron, to buy us time to formulate a proper reinforcement package."

A Ministry of Defense spokesman said: "We regularly review force levels around the world, though we wouldn't comment on the detail of this for obvious reasons."

Last August the former head of the RAF, Air Chief Marshal Sir Michael Graydon, said Britain has only half the number of combat-ready air squadrons as France and must increase defense spending "immediately" to send a clear signal to opponents.

It had only seven combat-capable squadrons, compared to France's 15, and only 19 warships to France's 24, despite the obvious fact that Britain is an island and France is not.

In a joint letter with leading historian Andrew Roberts, he called on Britain to take the lead in Europe and increase spending to "implement an updated strategy which takes full account of today's changed reality."

Sir Michael and Mr. Roberts said the country's armed forces were "too small, too unbalanced, with many serious gaps."

They called for an immediate stop to defense cuts and for Britain's defense budget to be "ring-fenced" against any cuts (the foreign aid budget has been ring-fenced, though it is hard to see how it serves comparable national interests.)

"Not to do so would suggest that defense is not the first duty of government, but a lower priority than several ring-fenced social services," they said. "Such a commitment would send a clear signal not only to Russia, but to the rest of NATO, and our opponents elsewhere. "

Sir Michael and Mr. Roberts added in the August letter: "Next month's crucial NATO summit gives Britain's Prime Minister the critical opportunity and responsibility to lead NATO back to the strength needed to respond to today's serious crises. May he succeed for the sake of all of us."

Instead, in the ensuing seven months, which have also seen a Conservative Party Conference, defense spending as a portion of GDP has continued to shrink.

http://spectator.org/articles/61758/setting-stage-losing-falklands-war

jurrien visser (JuVi op Twitter)

UK sends warship to Falklands as Argentina lease supersonic bombers from Russia

ONE of Britain's newest and most powerful warships was last night heading towards the Falklands to strengthen the islands' air defences.

Published: Sun, January 18, 2015

http://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/552676/UK-Falklands-warship-argentina-navy

jurrien visser (JuVi op Twitter)

British armed forces order Falklands 'super missiles' as Argentina leases Russian jets

Published time: January 15, 2015

Britain is expected to order £228 million-worth of "super missiles" to provide its Falklands overseas territories with extra protection as Argentina boosts its air power with Russian-loaned jets.

The long-disputed British territory is currently under the protection of Rapier missiles, but the equipment is said to be aging and less effective.

The Sun newspaper reports that the Ministry of Defense (MoD) will purchase a Future Local Air Defense System (FLAADS), a truck-based surface-to-air missile system, to provide additional military support in the area, after it was revealed in December that Argentina would lease fighter jets from Russia.

One source told the paper that the Argentine Air Force hadn't been updated since their defeat in the 1982 conflict with Britain over the Falklands.

"Argentina's Air Force has not improved since their defeat in 1982, but they've repeatedly tried to sort that, despite being cash-strapped."

"Britain must always stay one step ahead when it comes to defending the Falklands. Rapier has been a great asset, but it's time for a new system to counter further threats," the source added.

The FLAADS system has reportedly been developed by defense company MBDA UK to replace the Rapier system. In May 2014 it was announced that the MoD had awarded the company a £36 million contract.

The FLAADS website says the missiles have the capability of traveling at 1,000 meters a second.

It also states, however, that it does not expect any of the missiles to be operational until 2016.

After the contract was announced, the MoD said the missiles would be thoroughly assessed during a test phase, before deciding whether they would be used across the forces to replace the Rapier system.

A military spokesperson declined to comment on the specific details of the Falklands protection.

"Our overall military posture in the South Atlantic is based on regular assessments of the threat and the Falkland Islands remain well defended; we do not offer comment on specific operational details."

"We remain vigilant and committed to the protection of the Falkland islanders," the spokesperson added.

The Islands, known in Spanish as Las Malvinas, have long been a source of tension for Britain and Argentina.

They have been a British territory since 1833, but Argentina has always insisted the islands rightly belong to them after they inherited them from Spain in the 1800s.

In 1982, Argentina invaded the Falklands. Britain responded by sending troops to stake their claim.

The 74-day conflict caused the deaths of 255 British troops, 649 Argentinians and three native islanders.

Tensions between the two nations were exacerbated in late 2014 after the host of BBC show Top Gear, Jeremy Clarkson, and his crew were forced to leave Argentina after driving a car with a controversial number plate through Argentina.

The number plate read H89FKL, which locals insisted was a veiled reference to the Falklands war.

The production crew insisted it was a mere coincidence.

http://rt.com/uk/222979-mod-falkland-protection-argentina/

jurrien visser (JuVi op Twitter)

UK Bolsters Falkland Defenses to Counter Argentine Air Ambitions

By Andrew Chuter  January 11, 2015

LONDON — British military capability planners are eyeing a major improvement to ground-based air defenses in the Falkland Islands amid continuing signs that Argentina is looking to update its Air Force with modern strike aircraft.

http://www.defensenews.com/story/defense/international/americas/2015/01/11/uk-falklands-leapp-air-defense-argentinia/21497721/

Huzaar1

Aha, nou ja. Ik denk dat als je investeert in AA en wat waarnemingscentra met CIWS systemen en je zorgt ervoor dat de Argentijnen wel zo veel geld moeten neerleggen om daar doorheen te komen dat je het relatief goedkoop wint.

GB hoeft niet uit de tent te komen, Argentinië legt haar Claim op de Falklands.. niet andersom.
Het voorkomt stationering van relatief dure eenheden en squadrons.
"Going to war without France is like going deer hunting without your accordion" US secmindef - Jed Babbin"

dudge

Citaat van: Huzaar1 op 03/01/2015 | 12:56 uur
Met hypermoderne AA op dat eiland kun je lijkt mij  Argentinïe laten meedoen aan een voor GB  supergoedkope wapenwedloop of zie ik het nu fout.

Al zullen de Britten dat dan eerst aan moeten schaffen. En dan nog blijft de dreiging groot. Niet alleen van de vliegtuigen, maar vooral ook de bewapening die zij mee voeren. Daarbij, je kunt pas schieten als je ook wat ziet, en dat hoeft pas op het allerlaatste moment te zijn. Al is 24 stuks natuurlijk helemaal niks om een campaign mee te voeren, maar in een later stadium zou een dergelijk systeem wel van pas kunnen gaan komen ja.

Elzenga

Citaat van: Ace1 op 03/01/2015 | 15:45 uur
Overigens was IA ook in de markt met KFIR block 60 toestelen.

http://www.defenseindustrydaily.com/two-to-tango-argentina-looking-for-new-warplanes-022821/

En IA heeft ook ervaring met het upgraden van de A4 Skyhawk
Inderdaad.... en ik lees dat er ook al bij de Koreanen en Chinezen gekeken wordt...tja..het aantal aanbieders neemt ook in die regio toe...en snoept productie af van de meer gevestigde fabrikanten. In dat kader lijkt me de Braziliaanse keuze voor de Gripen toch best wel een klapper...

Ace1

Citaat van: Elzenga op 03/01/2015 | 15:21 uur
ik neem aan dat de Argentijnen dat wel zouden checken...maar als ze door de keuze voor de Gripen afhankelijk zijn van bepaalde Britse onderdelen, dan hebben de Britten dus een "wapen" in handen om die bevoorrading af te sluiten als de Argentijnen aansturen op een nieuwe confrontatie om de Falkland eilanden. Bij Russische toestellen..of zo meteen misschien Chinese..is die mogelijkheid er niet.

Je kunt je ook afvragen of de Britse regering niet gewoon baat heeft bij deze Koude Oorlog rond de Falklands. Zeker als die zo weer oplaait...en aan Poetin's Rusland kan worden gelinkt..

Overigens was IA ook in de markt met KFIR block 60 toestelen.

http://www.defenseindustrydaily.com/two-to-tango-argentina-looking-for-new-warplanes-022821/

En IA heeft ook ervaring met het upgraden van de A4 Skyhawk

Elzenga

Citaat van: Ace1 op 03/01/2015 | 14:53 uur
Misschien had men juist toestemming moeten geven op de verkoop van de onderdelen en dan er een soort van Bug inbouwen zodat je tegenstander kan neutraliseren?
ik neem aan dat de Argentijnen dat wel zouden checken...maar als ze door de keuze voor de Gripen afhankelijk zijn van bepaalde Britse onderdelen, dan hebben de Britten dus een "wapen" in handen om die bevoorrading af te sluiten als de Argentijnen aansturen op een nieuwe confrontatie om de Falkland eilanden. Bij Russische toestellen..of zo meteen misschien Chinese..is die mogelijkheid er niet.

Je kunt je ook afvragen of de Britse regering niet gewoon baat heeft bij deze Koude Oorlog rond de Falklands. Zeker als die zo weer oplaait...en aan Poetin's Rusland kan worden gelinkt..

jurrien visser (JuVi op Twitter)

Citaat van: Elzenga op 03/01/2015 | 14:49 uur
Gripens...Britse invloed op onderdelen...er zijn zo manieren om de dreiging van een potentiële tegenstander te "neutraliseren". Die wegen zo direct afsluiten doet hen inderdaad zoeken naar andere wegen...wegen waarop Britse invloed zo goe als 0 is. Wel zo slim van de Britten?

Handig is anders, na de 12 oudjes (SU-24) zou zo maar ook iets meer spannend geruild kunnen worden voor heel veel ton Corned Beef (SU-30+), een dergelijk deal heeft ze immers al eens een carrier opgeleverd en de KM gebakken marinier.

Ace1

Citaat van: Elzenga op 03/01/2015 | 14:49 uur
Gripens...Britse invloed op onderdelen...er zijn zo manieren om de dreiging van een potentiële tegenstander te "neutraliseren". Die wegen zo direct afsluiten doet hen inderdaad zoeken naar andere wegen...wegen waarop Britse invloed zo goe als 0 is. Wel zo slim van de Britten?

Misschien had men juist toestemming moeten geven op de verkoop van de onderdelen en dan er een soort van Bug inbouwen zodat je tegenstander kan neutraliseren?