Author Archive: Richard Stockley
Future Proofing Defence Capability – Food for Thought
A recent article in The Independent on Sunday, 2nd August, highlighted the current problems with UK’s long-term commitment to Afghanistan. With regard to this deployment, the British Ambassador to Washington, Sir Nigel Sheinwald, commented that UK forces could be there for ‘decades’. By decades it is reasonable to assume that Sir Nigel means timescale of [...]
Future Lynx – Wildcat or FatCat
Not for the first time in its history has the AgustaWestland Lynx Wildcat been the focus of this website or the media in general, and not for all the right reasons. Lynx Wildcat’s latest foray back into the headlines has been due to vast increase in its development costs. The actual cost of the Lynx [...]
A Tale of Two Chinooks
Whether the Government likes it or not, helicopters are on the agenda and regularly on the front page. In this instance we take a delve into the recent story of the ‘Cut and Shut Chinook Scandal’, which actually isn’t a scandal. It isn’t actually much of a story, but at the moment it is being [...]
Afghanistan and the Case of the Missing Helicopters
Another excellent post from one of our regular contributors; Helicopters, or at least the lack of them, have generated a number of headlines and a great deal of consternation in Westminster over the past few weeks. David Cameron, the leader of the opposition, has made a great deal of political capital out of his comments [...]
Gulf War Enquiry
The Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, announced today that an independent inquiry into the invasion of Iraq will be held in behind closed doors. Following the draw down of combat operations and the withdrawal of British troops from Iraq, it has now been deemed acceptable for the inquiry to go ahead. Although many opposition MP’s and [...]
Lynx Wildcat: What’s in a Name
When Juliet said unto Romeo,” What’s in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet,” she meant that what really matters is what actually something is, not what it is called, or at least that’s what William Shakespeare inferred. The 24th of April laid witness to the [...]
Disjointed Command: The Future of Warfare?
Things were easier during the Cold War, or at least it was for the services anyway. Everyone knew who the enemy was and as long as the equipment worked (or nearly worked) and came in sufficient quantities, everything seemed to be ok. The only real concerns were keeping ahead in the technology race, keeping our [...]
C-RAM: The Art of Winning the Peace?
The recent conflict in the Middle East between Hamas in Gaza and the Israeli defence Forces has drawn widespread condemnation from around the globe. Hamas for its indiscriminate bombardment of Israeli settlements like Sderot with Kassam rockets, and the Israeli’s for their disproportionate response. With the recent invasion of Gaza by Israel, we have the [...]
Same Difference – The 66 is Back
You always know when a piece of military kit is any good or at least useful because the first thing the MOD tries to do is to get rid of it. You also knew that when the MOD removed the tin opener from of the 24 hour ration pack that things could only go down [...]
The Advent of Future Lynx: Taking a Backwards Step into the Future
It wasn’t that long ago when the name ‘Westland Helicopters’ used to be associated with ministerial resignations, especially for those in defence. Things have been pretty quiet in Yeovil since then, but it appears that this once cold potato has been put back into the oven and the gas mark has been turned up high. [...]
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