>На сайте "Шарки" Уорда sharkeysworld.com написано, что одной из важнейших тактических побед RAF над RN было решение заменить Harrier GR7/9 в Афгане Tornado GR4. Данные: сначала в Афгане на деплойментах летали 40 из 74 наличных GR7/9 и пехота их очень любила; после замены там летают 28 из 137 имеемых GR4 и пехота их не любит; поэтому основной CAS там сейчас осуществляют WAH-64.
>Воврпопсы:
>1. А чем так уж хорош в CASe Harrier GR7/9?
>2. Чем так уж плох в CASe Tornado GR4?
Как минимум разница есть в 1) банальном количестве (которое транслируется в кол-во боеготовых), 2) STOL.
Собственно, Шарки так и пишет:
The Tornado does not respond adequately to urgent close air support requests from ground forces in need, as did the Harrier.
1)
During this operational period, JFH provided eight Harriers continuously available in theatre with 11 pilots and around 100 engineers and support staff. We always planned and flew missions in pairs, with two pairs being tasked during the day and a pair at night. Equally, during the day we kept two further Harriers at Alert 30, i.e. 30 minutes notice to get airborne, and at night this was extended to Alert 120 although the CAOC (Combined Air Operations Centre) could reduce those times depending on the tactical situation; quite often aircrew would be airborne in well under these times. This stance was maintained throughout the five-year period.
Harriers never once lost a mission due to an unserviceable aircraft; often there would be numerous spare aircraft if one unusually developed a problem on start. The only times that the Harrier failed to get airborne in the five years of operations was if the weather curtailed flying operations.
Поддерживать 8 вылетов в день на 40 бортов легче, чем 8 на 28. И, ЕМНИП, у Торнадо всегда с боеготовностью проблемы выше средних были.
2)
Unique to the Harrier is its short-field capability; this proved to be extremely worthy throughout. When Harriers first deployed in Afghanistan, the runway at Kandahar AF was a narrow 3,000ft strip only suitable to the VSTOL aircraft. Latterly, there were times when the runway became blocked and only a few thousand feet were available, not enough for the other fast aircraft to operate from. This occurred during one of my day missions when crucially, a US carrier, with its F-18s, was in port, thus unable to launch, and Bagram and Kabul airfields were iced in; the Harriers were the only aircraft helping to support the troops at this time, utilising their unique short-field capability to get airborne.
