The UK Ministry of Defence is to place increased emphasis on combined training between its air and land forces as a result of lessons learned during last year's US-led Operation Iraqi Freedom, where Royal Air Force BAE Systems Harrier GR7 ground-attack aircraft were called on to provide close air support for ground troops.
Noting a steady trend within the UK armed forces since the end of the Cold War, Air Marshal Glenn Torpy, deputy commander-in-chief, RAF Strike Command, says: "We have neglected air/land co-ordination and training." This shortfall is now being addressed, he says.
Other lessons of the Iraq war include the UK's need to acquire weapons in the 250lb (115kg) class, with shaped charges to further cut the risk of causing collateral damage in urban areas, and to speed the availability of a multirole version of the Eurofighter Typhoon, he says.
Torpy told Shephard's Air Power 2004 conference in London that the UK's future network-enabled capability (NEC) could be adapted to provide a means of tracking military equipment. The MoD has recently faced criticism over equipment distribution failings during the recent campaign. "Iraq showed a glimpse of what NEC will do for us," he says.
Source: Flight International
