Strategic Defence Review - 2025

[Malcolm]

If the fastjet is in a HAS and the runway is cratered how do they get to the motorway?

When a crisis looms, and escalation looks likely, FJ assets are deployed to multiple dispersed M-way locations - getting the timing right would be critical!

Yeah, but, there isn't anything within range of a UK motorway for a Typhoon or F-35 without tanker support, and no way are tankers going to be operating from any off-airport locations. The idea only works if you can forward deploy to suitable locations within about an hours flight time of the front line. That used to be Turkey and West Germany and Norway, but now it's Poland, the Baltic states and Finland.

The only way it makes sense for the UK is if the bad guys have got as far as France/Belgium/Netherlands. In that case I'd suggest we're beyond the point that operating off roads is likely to be an option.

[Agent K]

And again, during the cold war, weren't there dedicated teams for runway repairs at frontline airfields? I suppose the HASs protect the aircraft which are harder to replace than the runway surface - in theory.

There were, yes, Royal Engineers Army I believe, and TA too if I recall, (I know Brize had a TA RE Airfield Repair unit)