butch4343 said:
Given that such a system was never used or needed by the UK during this time period(and would now be coming up for replacement/ retirement) then really nothing unfortunate about it; a decision that events proved to be a good one.
There are obviously arguments for against the UK fielding such a capability going forward (likely the current model without such weapons probably still makes most sense, especially given capability of a T45 close by if absolutely required).
I find it interesting that you only place value on weapons that have been employed, given the MOD bought Bloodhound and kept it in service so long, clearly there was a need throughout the cold war, by the same logic we should have binned the SSBN fleet years ago?. I would contend that a MRSAM buy would have strengthened the UK's air defences, by forcing a potential attacker to take into account MEZ's, and since most of those systems are mobile, they could have provided a valuable deployed air defence/TBM capabilty to UK forces deployed on Op Telic.
Yes we have a very real capabilty in the Type 45 these days, however remember there are only six in service, thats very few. If we are in engaged in major war operations those six very expensive destroyers will have other tasks or the RNs shiny carriers will sail very lightly protected.
Ill wager if we drill down the numbers it vastly cheaper to run a number of SAM sites than it is to provide the same capabilty by surface warship, simply by the fact the land based component doesnt require a hull, and all that entails to go with the SAM system.
Butch
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I believe in the value of sufficient but not excessive deterrence.
In the time period you are talking about (very late 80's early 90s to earlier this decade) how would the type of system you are talking about been better then what was procured instead (Tornado F3, then Typhoons for interception/ air policing, plus T45s, Rappier developments for point defence.
In this time period your proposed system would have been a very expensive solution in search of a problem to solve; no one making the decisions and paying the bills would have reasonably seen the need re: home defence. And no such system was needed for Operation Telic because by that stage Iraq had no weapons of that type. Imagine the opportunity costs of the money for your desired system; what would have to be sacrificed for it?