The RAF's service level is not very good in 2020

[ian16th]

It seems that the RAF cannot supply a single serviceable a/c to fly NHS supplies from Turkey to UK!

With all of the C-17's, C-130's, A-400's and A-330's surely one works!

[G-CPTN]

That was my thoughts a couple of days ago.
Is there a policy problem? - or are crews in quarantine? (or unwilling to volunteer?)

Maybe they have been furloughed?

[Undried Plum]

Four months in to the Covid crisis, HMG is still scratching around to get a single batch of surgical gowns for the NHS?

It's a deep disgrace.

They call it The Ministry of "Defence"(sic).

Defence against what? Afghan tribesmen? Mesopotamian rice farmers? Argentine gauchos? Cossacks? Irish nationalists? Striking miners? What?

Ferfuxake, four fifths, at least, of the world's airliners are outta work, sitting on the ground going Cheepcheep. A few phone calls could so easily have fetched the cargo over here yesterday. All it takes is a bit of competence and initiative.

We've got an air force which has more Group Captains than serviceable aeroplanes and helicopters.

We've got a navy which has more admirals than seaworthy warships.

We've got an NHS in the biggest national emergency of its existence, in which front line nurses and other medics are having to cut up and tie on rubbish bags to eachother to improvise protective clothing in clinical and surgical environments in immediate proximity to virus infected patients in the biggest pandemic in over a hundred years.

Despite all of this, our piss-pathetic "Defence" forces can't even haul a simple cargo from one end of Europe to the other.

We, the people, seem to have got our priorities wrong in funding the warmongering machine instead of defending our nation's people's health.

[TheGreenGoblin]

It seems that the RAF cannot supply a single serviceable a/c to fly NHS supplies from Turkey to UK!

I wasn't aware that there had been aircraft serviceability issues.

The government's preparedness, logistical prowess and procurement practices have been woeful in all this. I wouldn't trust this lot to run a cake stall at a village fete. I suspect that if there have been RAF 'issues", they have been minor in the context of the general fog of big promises and the even bigger failure to deliver due to government incompetence. Who knows, maybe they will put Chris Greyling in charge of this fiasco next?

There is "relatively low confidence" a delayed delivery of 400,000 protective gowns will arrive on Monday, a senior NHS figure has said.

The consignment had been expected to arrive from Turkey on Sunday.

Chris Hopson, chief executive of NHS Providers, told the BBC there was "no doubt" some hospital trusts already had shortages of the gowns, which protect those treating coronavirus patients.

A minister said the Turkish flight was expected to depart on Monday afternoon.

Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden said the government was "working very hard" to resolve the issue but added there had been "challenges at the Turkish end".

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-52351029?in ... ting-story

[TheGreenGoblin]

Four months in to the Covid crisis, HMG is still scratching around to get a single batch of surgical gowns for the NHS?

...

We, the people, seem to have got our priorities wrong in funding the warmongering machine instead of defending our nation's people's health.

A batch was delivered earlier in April

https://www.raf.mod.uk/news/articles/pp ... ze-norton/

Following an agreement between the UK and Turkey, 250,000 items of PPE equipment to the UK, including 50,000 N-95 face masks; 100,000 surgical masks; and 100,000 protective suits, arrived at RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire on Friday.

The supplies will be taken to a regional NHS distribution hub to be delivered to medical centres across the country.

As for the rest I agree entirely with your comments.

[Rossian]

Earlier pictures I saw the stuff was coming from Turkey in Turkish a/c. Will the Turks allow a C-17 into wherever they pick the stuff up? Is the consignment what was ordered and has it been inspected IN TURKEY? Is it ready for dispatch? I agree with some some of UP's winges but I do think he is being un-necesarily harsh on the RAF.

The Ancient Mariner

[ian16th]

My reading of the original article was that an a/c had gone u/s, and was delayed, waiting to be de-snagged, with no other a/c available.

Maybe I was wrong, again.

[k3k3]

It might be a problem with the Diplomatic Clearance.

[ian16th]

It might be a problem with the Diplomatic Clearance.

The arrival of the Turkish A-400 was being punted as a demonstration of how well the 'new NATO' clearance system was working!

[k3k3]

Diplomatic Clearances for States Aircraft are very simple in theory, but this was seldom the case in practice.

I've been out of the system for three years now but I doubt much has changed apart from some job titles.

[CharlieOneSix]

Was an RAF aircraft ever planned to be used for this cargo? A Russian AirBridgeCargo 747 delivered infusion pumps, laboratory kits, 10m face masks, PPE kits etc without problems from China to Prestwick two days ago for the Scottish NHS. Seems a real cock-up somewhere in Turkey.

[TheGreenGoblin]

Was an RAF aircraft ever planned to be used for this cargo? A Russian AirBridgeCargo 747 delivered infusion pumps, laboratory kits, 10m face masks, PPE kits etc without problems from China to Prestwick two days ago for the Scottish NHS. Seems a real cock-up somewhere in Turkey.

Leading to the heads of the real Turkeys in London.

[barkingmad]

Relax guys and gals, we’ve solved all the problems by outsourcing, just like Serco is taking care of illegal immigrants and Carillion, oh wait a minute, I should not have mentioned them...



And before anyone whinges about the source of this video the story is being reported elsewhere, so STFU!