More Argie Bargie

[mikal83]

What would happen if the FI declared themselves a "country".

[Grumfutock]

Could a combat loaded SU-24 even fly from Argentina to the Falklands and back?

Mind you in a war scenario fly back may be irrelevant for them.

[rhinochopig]

Grumfutock said:

Could a combat loaded SU-24 even fly from Argentina to the Falklands and back?

Mind you in a war scenario fly back may be irrelevant for them.

1960s tech so not much sport for a Typhoon. However, the issue is what stand-off weapons they come with. IF Putin wanted to be devious he could rent them complete with a few TLAM equivalents.

[FourWheelDrift]

If it's a Russian deal they sell them the Su-24s for as much as they can get away with + parts, then charge more (what they Argentinians can't afford) for the weapons.

[jmorgan]

Putins motives are the driver here I think. And what he may get in return.

[Uncle John]

Surely with the Type 45 lurking the Typhoons will not even be needed.....

[ukbabz]

jmorgan said:

Putins motives are the driver here I think. And what he may get in return.

To see how the legacy stock is dealt with by modern British tech?

[Mojocvh]

Uncle John said:

Surely with the Type 45 lurking the Typhoons will not even be needed.....

Aye, nothing like having all your eggs in one very expensive basket...

[Grumfutock]

Well according to wikipedia the SU-24 has a combat range of 615Km. The nearest base is Rio Grande at 7oo km so i dont see how these things can even get there and back.

[jmorgan]

ukbabz said:

jmorgan said:

Putins motives are the driver here I think. And what he may get in return.

To see how the legacy stock is dealt with by modern British tech?

I do not have the knowledge to compare any planes in a real world scenario. One commentary in the press is say they could be a real threat. I don't know.

But what I do know is we are off Putins Xmas card list and there is oil down there, Mrs K wants the oil, and to get that she needs the Falklands. This will get her out the brown stuff. We get the oil, it is another dependency removed from Putin in a way. Also China have been sniffing around in the area to see what they can hoover up.

So, Putin lobs a few planes in the direction of Argentina, possibly with a few weapon systems that pose a real threat and steps back to see what goes on. If something starts then he can say it was just a deal, we all do it. Argentina win, he probably gets a cut of any oil and we are less of a thorn in his side. Argentina lose, well, what has he lost, apart from getting everyone to look that way and get us involved elsewhere.

[mikal83]

Dear Argentinians.

We care more about who writes Daves speeches.
We care more about the fact that NZ are in the cricket world cup finals.
We care more about solar panels being more popular.
we care more about letters written by politicos being written on public paper.
We care more about Cheryls new hair style.
We care more about why Colin Firth quite Paddington.
We care more about Angelina Jolie's tits and tubes.

Than you.

[Esseesse]

Is this right, the Argentinians don't seem to have any carriers?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_active_Argent...

The ships they do have seem to be largely in need of repair, and their destroyer is apparently unarmed.

[TEKNOPUG]

Esseesse said:

Is this right, the Argentinians don't seem to have any carriers?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_active_Argent...

The ships they do have seem to be largely in need of repair, and their destroyer is apparently unarmed.

Argentina's military does not exist in any meaningful sense. They have enough basic hardware and organisation to dissuade an attack from any of their continental neighbours but have zero ability to project external force.

The only realistic military option would be to send aircraft or even a couple of ships on a suicide mission to the FI, in the hope that they could persuade the world that the UK was the aggressor and that the Argies were innocently testing their IL-2 Sturmoviks (or whatever the Russians have flogged them) in international waters.

[mikal83]

They killed c30,000 of their own people in the dirty war in the 70's, so whats another few hundred to try and make yet another political statement

[Grumfutock]

Esseesse said:

Is this right, the Argentinians don't seem to have any carriers?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_active_Argent...

The ships they do have seem to be largely in need of repair, and their destroyer is apparently unarmed.

There are actually only 9 countries with carriers, 10 if you count the UK when our two come online.

Of these the Thai one has no aircraft, the Brazil one is ancient and unreliable and the Indian INS Viraat is our old Hernmes!

[Seight_Returns]

I think the arguement is less about whether Argentina can win another shooting war - moreso how much they have to up the threat level before the proportion of finite UK defence resources that need to be sent South to counter it becomes untenable - and HMG is forced to the negotiating table without a shot being fired.

The SU-24 may well be junk and no match for a Typhoon or T45 - but we don't have many Typhoons or T45s and they can't be in 2 places at once. There will be a tippiong point when we'll need to make a tough call whether we want to defend the FI or chase away the Bears (and maybe soon Blackjacks and Backfires) probing UK airspace.

That horrible Kirchner woman and her new friends in Moscow know this only too well.

[Esseesse]

Seight_Returns said:

The SU-24 may well be junk and no match for a Typhoon or T45 - but we don't have many Typhoons or T45s and they can't be in 2 places at once. There will be a tippiong point when we'll need to make a tough call whether we want to defend the FI or chase away the Bears (and maybe soon Blackjacks and Backfires) probing UK airspace.

That horrible Kirchner woman and her new friends in Moscow know this only too well.

This is a possible straight jacket that we've put ourselves in though, we could quite easily get out if we had a government intent on doing so. There are so so many things that could be done significantly more cheaply which would allow us to fund half a dozen or more T45's.

[Uncle John]

Off the top of my head we have four Typhoons, a Type 45, couple of subs in the area, a rapier missile battery, and 1200 men.

So moder kit and certainly not a bad defence for a barren rock in the South Atlantic, and more than enough for the Argentinians not to consider a attack.

However if it were for offence rather than defence then yes it would need strengthening.

[Bluebarge]

Relax people - here are the promised reinforcements - 2 cargo helicopters and a primary school
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-32031342
It also suggests personnel there number 1200, so that's probably a couple of hundred combat troops and the rest RAF engineers, ATC etc

[Timmy40]

Uncle John said:

However if it were for offence rather than defence then yes it would need strengthening.

Maybe we should invade Argentina and deport all the Argentinians to the Falkland Islands?