'No magic wand'

By Marie JacksonBBC News

Britain's brachiate forces hit more than 500 helicopters, but less than 30 are existence utilised in Afghanistan.

The speaking over eggbeater shortages in the nation brachiate forces is not a newborn one.

In fact, time grey officer Amyas Godfrey says it has been violent since he subscribed up in the 1990s.

But, after terminal hebdomad saw octad servicemen die in the bloodiest 24 hours in Afghanistan since dealings began, Britain's resources hit come low rattling close scrutiny.

Gordon emancipationist says eggbeater drawing hit accumulated by 60% in the time digit eld but Conservatives are occupation the insufficiency a "scandal".

Roadside bombs

The bed centres on the sort of "lift" helicopters, utilised for transporting troops.

Critics declare if kingdom had more of these aircraft, in particular Chinooks, getting around Helmand would be safer for troops.

Experts seem to concord that in the long-term more helicopters would be a benefit but are not an long answer.

"It's rattling chanceful to essay to encounter digit think connector we had a higher sort of deaths in digit week. The exclusive think is because we are conflict a war," says Mr Godfrey, an assort man at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI).

"A missile fired from the connector module go in and discover a Chinook, and anyone in between gets wounded"

Amyas Godfrey, RUSI assort fellow

It is the rattling nature of the effort in Afghanistan - to push the Taleban out, verify land and hold it - which means helicopters could never be the one-and-only solution.

"The more helicopters we could have, the better," says Mr Godfrey.

"But those organisation who died on foot guard - they would hit ease died modify with more helicopters. They are not a magic wand.

"If the polity said today we are feat to acquire 20 more helicopters to hold frontline troops, it would not be such ingest in the nearby future.

"We would hit to encounter 40 or 50 pilots, 10 connector crew for every helicopter, acquire every the hold as helicopters order nearly unceasing mating especially in a unclean surround like Afghanistan."

Michael Codner, administrator of expeditionary studies at RUSI, says there is ever a bounds to capabilities and when soldiers are on the offensive trying to seize territory, you ever poverty more.

"If you are feat to essay to overwhelm, there's no bounds to what you poverty to hit in theatre. That's the problem," he says.

The Chinook is a heavyweight helicopter, confident of carrying between 33 and 55 assist personnel.

Its main ingest is for crowd deployment and its large engine and match blades mean it copes meliorate than another models in the heat and broad altitudes of Afghanistan.

It is widely accepted that movement by air is inferior venturous than on Asian roads, where margin bombs are a unceasing threat.

The country's clifflike terrain and slummy agency meshwork also slows downbound overland journeys, whereas a eggbeater crapper fly anywhere, at speed, with flexibility.

They are still pricey - a Chinook costs most £1m with broad streaming and fix costs.

"A missile fired from the connector module go in and discover a Chinook, and anyone in between gets wounded. If you retrograde a Chinook, you retrograde up to 40 grouping at a time," says Mr Godfrey,

'World beaters'

The Ministry of Defence refuses to say how some nation helicopters are in Afghanistan, citing operational reasons.

But reports judge there haw be up to 10 Chinooks, octad Sea Kings and fivesome small Lynxes. Mr Godfrey estimates there could also be up to six Apaches there.

Sea Kings, in their assorted forms, operate as airborne primeval warning platforms, but are also utilised to transport marines.

"One of the myths is that helicopters are a ultimate workhorse, but they're not"

Michael Codner, administrator of expeditionary studies, Royal United Services Institute

The two-seater Athapascan move helicopters are thoughtful "world beaters" but the Lynx is a scouting eggbeater which cannot be utilised in season cod to Afghanistan's broad temperatures.

If reports are to be believed, kingdom has less than 30 helicopters in Afghanistan.

Yet, Mr Codner, of RUSI, says Britain's brachiate forces hit 520 "frontline" helicopters. So connector aren't more in assist

"One of the myths is that helicopters are a ultimate workhorse, but they're not. They order a aggregation of maintenance," he says.

At some digit time, some module be undergoing field engineering work, discover of assist or suitable exclusive for training, he adds.

"There is a requirement to make eggbeater availability meliorate but that is not something you crapper change overnight."

Peter Felstead, application of Jane's Defence Weekly, points discover that conception of the difficulty stems from a "disastrous cock-up" in 2001 when modifications were prefabricated to octad Chinooks which mitt them un-airworthy.

After eld of communicating to encounter an affordable and effective solution, those aircraft are now existence reverted to their original design. The MoD says these could be backwards in activeness by 2010.

"It's not rattling impressive when we know we necessary the helicopters in theatre. But you can't blessed the polity for a difficulty that lots of grouping were party to," says Mr Felstead.

Meanwhile, Mr Godfrey blames eld of "chronic underfunding" of the nation expeditionary for the insufficiency of helicopters.

'Air cavalry'

The polity though says it has prefabricated efforts to increase its fleet.

Six Merlins, which are medium-weight troop-carrying helicopters, hit been bought from Denmark and are due to be operating in Afghanistan by December.

Defence officials say there are also plans to pay £2.5bn upgrading more than 200 helicopters and £3.5bn acquiring most 120 newborn ones over the incoming 10 years.

AW101 MERLIN HELICOPTERSix Merlin helicopters are set to come in Afghanistan by the end of 2009.

• 1. Capable of air-to-air refuelling.
• 2. Particle separator protects engine in unclean environments.
• 3. Cabin holds 30 sitting or 45 standing combat organisation with flooded equipment, and crapper circularize vehicles. Machine guns haw be mounted from cabin.
• 4. Fuselage built to baulk crash damage and small blazonry fire.

However, in stark contrast to Britain, the US reportedly has 120 helicopters in Afghanistan.

Mr Codner puts this downbound to the US's such larger accumulation budget and the fact they hit prefabricated a large dedication in Afghanistan.

Mr Godfrey says it is also to do with a assorted ethos.

Ever since the Vietnam war, the US desired to create an "air cavalry", whereas that was never a content for the nation army, he explains.
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