Page 58 - AirForces - Monthly (February 2020)

Commander’s Update Briefing

Airborne nuclear

deterrence making a

comeback?

A veteran of the Cold War nuclear he distance from the hardened As they did so, they immediately checked in
quick readiness alert mission, Air T personnel shelter to the equally on the secure landline that connected them
hardened aircraft shelter was short
Power Association President, enough to sprint, even though both aircrew to their local operations centre, then pulled
out their mission packs, with the still sealed
Air Marshal (ret’d) Greg were in full flying kit and had only just been codes, and waited for their next instructions.
Bagwell CB CBE examines the woken from their sleep. The cold night air From the time they had first heard the
current status of airborne nuclear and the adrenaline rush was enough to have rather eerie but unmistakable klaxon until
deterrence and explains how it them fully awake as they arrived at the shelter. this moment, only three minutes had passed.
still offers several advantages over The police guard had already activated the The next words they would hear might be
the command to launch immediately on a
doors and an eerie glow crept out as the
other strategic delivery systems. heavily laden Tornado GR1 appeared between mission to drop the two armed and ready
the swinging clamshell metal doors. The nuclear bombs slung beneath their aircraft.
ground crew were running alongside, having Thankfully, what they actually heard was
fired up the generator as the crew raced the order to stand down from what had only
up the wide aircraft steps to the cockpit. been a test. It was not only this crew that
External power quickly brought the aircraft breathed a sigh of relief as the adrenaline
systems to life, as switches were left in the began to subside, but the four other crews
Above: This two-seat French Air Force Rafale B ‘on’ position from the checks the same team in nearby shelters who could now put their
from Escadron de Chasse 1/4 ‘Gascogne’ carries an
example of the ASMP-A nuclear-tipped cruise missile had made earlier that day when they came on aircraft back to 15-minute readiness and
on its centreline station. Today, France relies upon shift. They had also performed all the arming maybe try and go back and finish their sleep.
a three-tiered nuclear deterrence force: land-based checks for the two ‘shapes’ sitting under the Many people will have forgotten – or
Rafale Bs of the Forces Aériennes Stratégiques, fuselage. The aircrew’s helmets were left perhaps never knew – that, up until 1998,
carrier-based Rafale Ms of the Force Aéronavale
Nucléaire and sub-launched missiles of the Force connected in the cockpit, so the crew donned the RAF was a vital part of the UK’s nuclear
Océanique Stratégique. Armée de l’Air them before they even attempted to strap in. deterrent. Indeed, I and many of my Tornado

56 // February 2020 #383 www.Key.Aero

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