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RAF Mildenhall to close. Lakenheath to get F-35 by 2020

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baz1
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Re: RAF Mildenhall to close. Lakenheath to get F-35 by 2020

Post by baz1 » Mon Feb 20, 2017 7:13 pm

and the next scenario will be the E8!
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Re: RAF Mildenhall to close. Lakenheath to get F-35 by 2020

Post by page_verify » Mon Feb 20, 2017 7:14 pm

The E-8 will finally have been retired before any of this happens, non?

baz1
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Re: RAF Mildenhall to close. Lakenheath to get F-35 by 2020

Post by baz1 » Mon Feb 20, 2017 7:22 pm

more than likely !
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Re: RAF Mildenhall to close. Lakenheath to get F-35 by 2020

Post by page_verify » Mon Feb 20, 2017 7:38 pm

The irony of course Baz1 is that Fairford has always been the European forward operating base for the E-8 (it has dedicated/special power hookups) yet it's never really left the Middle East since it was first created in 1991!

For any Skunkworks historians, Fairford was made the E-8 FOB around the same time that it was made the European base for the SR-71 had it have been forwarded deployed in its reincarnation - they were days away in their rehearsal from being able to accept the aircraft.

CHINOOKER
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Re: RAF Mildenhall to close. Lakenheath to get F-35 by 2020

Post by CHINOOKER » Mon Feb 20, 2017 7:43 pm

Surely one answer to this is a joint RAF/USAF tanker detachment/unit,based either at Waddington or Brize,specifically set up to support both UK/US missions. It doesn't have to be that big a unit,poss 4x KC135s and jointly funded/crewed. For RAF crews already trained to fly E-3 and RJ aircraft it should be a fairly easy conversion course.....same goes for "boomers", ground crews and maintenance. We seem to have quite a few "seedcorn" crews,operating on the P8s at present....why not train some more up on KC135 ops?. Seems to be a much cheaper option than going through the long and expensive process of converting Voyagers to boom ops!

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Re: RAF Mildenhall to close. Lakenheath to get F-35 by 2020

Post by page_verify » Mon Feb 20, 2017 7:48 pm

But would the USAF (or the British government) want US sigint aircraft operating from an RAF RAF station - does having a USAF wrapper around it make things a little better?

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Re: RAF Mildenhall to close. Lakenheath to get F-35 by 2020

Post by graham luxton » Mon Feb 20, 2017 8:18 pm

page_verify wrote:The irony of course Baz1 is that Fairford has always been the European forward operating base for the E-8 (it has dedicated/special power hookups) yet it's never really left the Middle East since it was first created in 1991!

For any Skunkworks historians, Fairford was made the E-8 FOB around the same time that it was made the European base for the SR-71 had it have been forwarded deployed in its reincarnation - they were days away in their rehearsal from being able to accept the aircraft.
They even had to modify the East entrance to the main hangar so the E-8 would fit in!
Last edited by graham luxton on Sun Feb 26, 2017 10:51 am, edited 1 time in total.

baz1
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Re: RAF Mildenhall to close. Lakenheath to get F-35 by 2020

Post by baz1 » Mon Feb 20, 2017 8:37 pm

CHINOOKER wrote:Surely one answer to this is a joint RAF/USAF tanker detachment/unit,based either at Waddington or Brize,specifically set up to support both UK/US missions. It doesn't have to be that big a unit,poss 4x KC135s and jointly funded/crewed. For RAF crews already trained to fly E-3 and RJ aircraft it should be a fairly easy conversion course.....same goes for "boomers", ground crews and maintenance. We seem to have quite a few "seedcorn" crews,operating on the P8s at present....why not train some more up on KC135 ops?. Seems to be a much cheaper option than going through the long and expensive process of converting Voyagers to boom ops!
we often used to have a KC-135 on tdy at Geilenkirchen Parked on ALFA dispersal at waddington on a thurs night that had been tanking the E-3
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skysearcher
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Re: RAF Mildenhall to close. Lakenheath to get F-35 by 2020

Post by skysearcher » Thu Feb 23, 2017 10:17 am

thanks folks - as ever lots to think about and ponder here. My tuppence - despite lots of info saying LK, makes more sense to rebase 95RS to Ramstein,no qulams then conducting SIGINT from there 'in support of NATO' operations..... UK aircraft to remain at based at waddo, but TDY to Ramstein, for shared air-spares / forward maintenance, etc. Then creation of a NATO air refuelling unit, similar to the multinational airlift wing at Pappa AB, Hungary, in order to provide A-A refuelling capability. US led, but NATO operated, and based at.... Fairford??

Anyone know when the new USAF tanker is supposed to come into service to replace the current 100ARW KC-135Rs ?

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bizfreeq
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Re: RAF Mildenhall to close. Lakenheath to get F-35 by 2020

Post by bizfreeq » Thu Feb 23, 2017 10:46 am

NATO tanker force is already in the making:
http://www.nato.int/cps/en/natohq/news_141382.htm
Cheers
Mark



If our airforces are never used, they have achieved their finest goal.
— General Nathan F. Twining

skysearcher
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Re: RAF Mildenhall to close. Lakenheath to get F-35 by 2020

Post by skysearcher » Tue Feb 28, 2017 9:53 am

iIntersting, thanks Mark...

guess its a sensible way to boost defence spending, extending the capabilities of the European-based NATO forces. Im guessing there's only USAF, UK and France that provide A-A refuelling currently? Somebody please correct me if I'm wrong.

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Re: RAF Mildenhall to close. Lakenheath to get F-35 by 2020

Post by plmc135 » Tue Feb 28, 2017 10:38 am

skysearcher wrote:iIntersting, thanks Mark...

guess its a sensible way to boost defence spending, extending the capabilities of the European-based NATO forces. Im guessing there's only USAF, UK and France that provide A-A refuelling currently? Somebody please correct me if I'm wrong.
Plus the Dutch with their two KDC-10's, the Germans with four A310 MRTT's and the seven Turkish KC-135R's.

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Dan M
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Re: RAF Mildenhall to close. Lakenheath to get F-35 by 2020

Post by Dan M » Tue Feb 28, 2017 12:49 pm

Italian KC-767'S

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Re: RAF Mildenhall to close. Lakenheath to get F-35 by 2020

Post by slogen51 » Tue Feb 28, 2017 1:08 pm

The Spanish.

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Gary
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Re: RAF Mildenhall to close. Lakenheath to get F-35 by 2020

Post by Gary » Tue Feb 28, 2017 1:38 pm

slogen51

The Spanish only have KC-130s. From memory they retired their 707 last year? Currently waiting or looking at buying A330 MRTT. The Spanish used Italian KC767s to get them to RD
Posh are going to Wembley (albeit for a tin cup)

the concerned
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Re: RAF Mildenhall to close. Lakenheath to get F-35 by 2020

Post by the concerned » Wed Mar 01, 2017 8:14 am

I'very been looking at this another way if Mildenhall does finally close the infrastructure in the area just doesn't support thousands of more houses. A better option would be to relocate Waddington as a whole to Mildenhall and use the land that Waddington is on to build extra houses outside Lincoln this could better support the extra housing. Maybe then the RAF could offer the Base as a joint hub. We have seen this time and time again you build these new estates then lots of people move there knowing damn well what the area is then they start complaining about the noisy aircraft in the area. This has not been thought through properly

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Dan M
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Re: RAF Mildenhall to close. Lakenheath to get F-35 by 2020

Post by Dan M » Wed Mar 01, 2017 12:49 pm

Is that the same Waddington that has just re-opened after the best part of three years and many millions of pounds spent on upgrades?

the concerned
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Re: RAF Mildenhall to close. Lakenheath to get F-35 by 2020

Post by the concerned » Wed Mar 01, 2017 12:56 pm

They spent £36 million but as people keep saying the Base still doesn't have the capability to operate properly. You also need to think long term rather than just now these rc-135's are going to be in service for decades.

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Re: RAF Mildenhall to close. Lakenheath to get F-35 by 2020

Post by quid21 » Wed Mar 01, 2017 7:28 pm

The amount of money spent on the base doesn't usually make any difference, just look at Bentwaters - they had loads and loads of investment just before the US withdrew.

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TankBuster
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Re: RAF Mildenhall to close. Lakenheath to get F-35 by 2020

Post by TankBuster » Thu Mar 02, 2017 6:52 am

quid21 wrote:The amount of money spent on the base doesn't usually make any difference, just look at Bentwaters - they had loads and loads of investment just before the US withdrew.
Bentwaters had several million spent on a top quality new runway, new domestic buildings, not to mention the base upgrades that had been made in preparation for the F-15 operations, including a state of the art F-15 engine testing facility... Once the upgrades were complete they closed the base :O .

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