Latest news with #RoyalAirForce
Daily Mirror
7 hours ago
- Business
- Daily Mirror
Inside abandoned UK airport set to reopen with cheap flights to holiday hotspots
From being bombed in World War Two to ferrying business passengers to Amsterdam, a transport hub which is no longer in use could soon be ready for its next chapter This ghost town of an airport site could soon spring back into life thanks to a £500 million regeneration. If plans come to fruition, holidaymakers would be able to jetaway to European hotspots on low-cost flights for the first time in 12 years. The last scheduled flight left Manston Airport in Kent for Amsterdam on April 9, 2014 and since then its been used as a lorry park. Currently undergoing a major refurbishment, the revived airport is slated to reopen in 2028. The airport can be found in the village of Manston in the Thanet district of Kent, 14 miles north-east from Canterbury by the coast. It was used by the Royal Air Force during the World Wars after it opened in 1918, and was frequently targeted by bombs during World War Two's Battle of Britain. Manston has a single runway that is 2,748 metres, or 9,016 feet, long. Wide at 60 metres, it was designed to handle emergency landings for Concorde and the Space Shuttle. Initially, the revived airport will focus on cargo operations but plans are afoot to introduce passenger services. The multimillion pound revamp will include new terminals and upgraded runways. Tony Freudmann, main board director at controlling airport company RiverOak Strategic Partners, told Kent Online: "Looking at the way the passenger market is going, we are confident we can persuade one or more low-cost carriers to base their planes here. "It does not work for us if they fly in just once a day because that is not economic. If they base three or four planes at Manston, we will have rotations three or four times a day, as they have at Southend. "That will cover our costs and bring passenger footfall through the terminal all day and every day. We will reinstate the twice daily KLM service to Amsterdam Schiphol that we had before and that will give business people in particular access to almost anywhere in the world." Passenger routes to the the Netherlands, Spain, Cyprus and Malta could be introduced, flown by budget airlines including Ryanair, easyJet and Wizz Air. Survey work is underway at the airport site and expected to be concluded in early 2026. A public consultation into possible flight routes will be launched at that time. If plans go ahead, construction work is expected to be completed by early 2028, when recruitment for operational roles would begin. Demand for flights at Luton Airport and Stansted Airport is said to suggest additional additional passenger flights would be popular in the region. "Opening an airport – even one like Manston which already has in place a full-length runway, taxiways and airport buildings – takes a huge amount of preparation and planning first and so it will be many months before we are ready to welcome construction teams on site," a post earlier this year on the RiverOak website reads. Opposition to the proposal to revamp the airport has been loud and coordinated, with groups such as Don't Save Manston Airport noting that the travel hub previously failed commercially and arguing that it will do again. They have argued for increased aviation capacity is bad for the environment.
Scottish Sun
14 hours ago
- General
- Scottish Sun
High-flying husband and wife are BOTH in race to be the next chief of the Royal Air Force
Both are tipped as potential successors to Air Chief Marshal Sir Rich Knighton, who has been promoted to Chief of Defence Staff ROYAL PAIR FORCE High-flying husband and wife are BOTH in race to be the next chief of the Royal Air Force Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) A HIGH-FLYING husband and wife are in the race to be the next chief of the Royal Air Force, 'we can reveal. Air Marshal Al Marshall and Air Vice-Marshal Suraya Marshall are the most senior serving couple in UK Armed Forces' history. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 2 Air Marshal Al Marshall is one half of the RAF's most senior serving couple in history Credit: AS1 Tomas Barnard RAF 2 Air Vice-Marshal Suraya Marshall is also in contention to become the head of the RAF Credit: RAF Both are tipped as potential successors to Air Chief Marshal Sir Rich Knighton, who has been promoted to Chief of Defence Staff to lead all three Armed Forces this autumn. Al, who joined up in 1991, is Air and Space Commander responsible for all air operations in the UK and overseas. He flew Harrier jump jets in Iraq, Afghanistan and Bosnia. Former Tornado navigator Suraya, who joined up in 1993, is Assistant Chief of the Air Staff. She was the first female weapons instructor and first woman to command one of the RAF's two operational groups. She led No 2 Group, which included all RAF cargo squadrons, in 2021 — the same time Al led No 1 Group, with all the combat aircraft. A source said: 'Talk about a power couple. 'Between them they've commanded every plane in the Air Force. 'Al is one rank senior so it would be more of a jump for Suraya but the leap's been made before.' RAF insiders said the couple, who have two children, are up against Deputy Chief of the Defence Staff Air Marshal Harv Smyth, who is favourite to replace Sir Rich.
The Irish Sun
14 hours ago
- General
- The Irish Sun
High-flying husband and wife are BOTH in race to be the next chief of the Royal Air Force
A HIGH-FLYING husband and wife are in the race to be the next chief of the Royal Air Force, 'we can reveal. Air Marshal Al Marshall and Air Vice-Marshal Suraya Marshall are the most senior serving couple in UK Armed Forces' history . Advertisement 2 Air Marshal Al Marshall is one half of the RAF's most senior serving couple in history Credit: AS1 Tomas Barnard RAF 2 Air Vice-Marshal Suraya Marshall is also in contention to become the head of the RAF Credit: RAF Both are tipped as potential successors to Air Chief Marshal Sir Rich Knighton, who has been promoted to Chief of Defence Staff to lead all three Armed Forces this autumn. Al, who joined up in 1991, is Air and Space Commander responsible for all air operations in the UK and overseas. He flew Harrier jump jets in Iraq, Afghanistan and Bosnia. Former Tornado navigator Suraya, who joined up in 1993, is Assistant Chief of the Air Staff. Advertisement READ MORE ON THE RAF She was the first female weapons instructor and first woman to command one of the RAF's two operational groups. She led No 2 Group, which included all RAF cargo squadrons, in 2021 — the same time Al led No 1 Group, with all the combat aircraft. A source said: 'Talk about a power couple. 'Between them they've commanded every plane in the Air Force. Advertisement Most read in The Sun 'Al is one rank senior so it would be more of a jump for Suraya but the leap's been made before.' RAF insiders said the couple, who have two children, are up against Deputy Chief of the Defence Staff Air Marshal Harv Smyth, who is favourite to replace Sir Rich. First non-pilot to lead RAF is picked to command all three armed forces
The Sun
15 hours ago
- General
- The Sun
High-flying husband and wife are BOTH in race to be the next chief of the Royal Air Force
A HIGH-FLYING husband and wife are in the race to be the next chief of the Royal Air Force, 'we can reveal. Air Marshal Al Marshall and Air Vice-Marshal Suraya Marshall are the most senior serving couple in UK Armed Forces ' history. 2 Both are tipped as potential successors to Air Chief Marshal Sir Rich Knighton, who has been promoted to Chief of Defence Staff to lead all three Armed Forces this autumn. Al, who joined up in 1991, is Air and Space Commander responsible for all air operations in the UK and overseas. He flew Harrier jump jets in Iraq, Afghanistan and Bosnia. Former Tornado navigator Suraya, who joined up in 1993, is Assistant Chief of the Air Staff. She was the first female weapons instructor and first woman to command one of the RAF's two operational groups. She led No 2 Group, which included all RAF cargo squadrons, in 2021 — the same time Al led No 1 Group, with all the combat aircraft. A source said: 'Talk about a power couple. 'Between them they've commanded every plane in the Air Force. 'Al is one rank senior so it would be more of a jump for Suraya but the leap's been made before.' RAF insiders said the couple, who have two children, are up against Deputy Chief of the Defence Staff Air Marshal Harv Smyth, who is favourite to replace Sir Rich.
The National
20 hours ago
- Politics
- The National
The glaring issue with the UK's plan to buy F-35A fighter jets
THE UK has decided to acquire at least 12 F-35A stealth fighters. These fighter jets should be able to carry out nuclear and conventional strikes from the air, a capability the Royal Air Force (RAF) has lacked since the 1990s. The deal also marks a significant move for the UK's participation in Nato operations amid rising nuclear rhetoric from adversaries. The F-35A brings notable advantages over the F-35B variant already in RAF service. It's less expensive to buy and operate, has a greater combat radius (the furthest distance an aircraft can travel to a target and return without refuelling) – 679 miles (1093km) vs 517 miles (833km) – and supports a broader variety of weapons, including the nuclear-capable B61 bomb (with US agreement). Because it can spend longer in the air, it may also allow prospective RAF pilots to get through their pilot training quicker. READ MORE: Westminster committee calls out Labour on F-35 exports to Israel Yet while the F-35A offers greater range than many comparable fighter jets, it still requires in-flight refuelling to operate effectively over extended distances and to return home from such missions. This exposes a critical vulnerability that has been largely overlooked in public commentary: the RAF has no tanker aircraft capable of supporting the F-35A in this way. As a result, these fighter jets – carrying nuclear ordnance or otherwise – are limited in the types of operations they can carry out. Unlike the F-35B which is compatible with the UK's current fleet of tankers, the A-model depends exclusively on 'flying boom' refuelling. Flying boom is one of two aerial refuelling methods. Favoured by the United States Air Force, it uses a rigid, extendable tube to deliver fuel at a high transfer rate and is generally easier for receiving pilots to operate. The alternative is probe-and-drogue which relies on a flexible hose and basket, connected to a probe on the receiving aircraft. While slower and more demanding to operate, it allows multiple fighters to refuel simultaneously, offers redundancy (backup options) and is simpler to integrate. Archive image of a fighter jet refuelling in mid-airThe RAF's refuelling predicament stems from an exclusive leasing deal negotiated under the last Labour government, which supplied only probe-and-drogue Voyager tankers. Although the aircraft were designed to support both systems, the UK, unlike Australia, opted not to include booms due to cost constraints and limited demand at the time. Since then, however, the UK has steadily acquired more American-made aircraft that can only use the flying boom method to refuel: the C-17 Globemaster (air transport), RC-135W Rivet Joint (intelligence), E-7 Wedgetail (airborne command and control) and P-8A Poseidon (maritime patrol). The F-35A announcement continues this trend but with greater implications. While the aircraft can carry external fuel tanks to extend its range, this degrades its stealth capability. Stealth means it is less easy for enemy sensors – like radar – to detect. The F-35A needs this stealth capability for nuclear missions that require penetration of contested airspace to deliver unguided B61 bombs. The outcome is that Britain's F-35As, along with alternative and otherwise highly capable aircraft, will not be able to operate independently during critical military operations. London to Eastern Europe, for instance, is roughly 1150 miles (1852km): nearly double the distance the F-35A can fly without refuelling. Without flying boom tankers or bases in foreign countries for refuelling, tactical flexibility is compromised. This shortfall imposes a growing reliance on allied tanker support. In crisis conditions, UK aircraft could be confined to American-led operations where such tankers exist. READ MORE: Labour refuse to block Israel access to F-35 jets despite Gaza bombing This risk was manageable in previous decades; the possibility of operating without the Americans considered remote. But as the 2025 Strategic Defence Review concedes, the United States is clear that the 'security of Europe is no longer its primary international focus'. And while some Nato allies in Europe are increasing their flying boom capacity through a multinational fleet, the UK is not as yet part of those arrangements. Retrofitting the existing Voyager fleet remains an option, but it would require an extensive – and expensive – structural overhaul, prompting the question of whether acquiring new, compatible tankers might now be a more viable path. Either way, until Britain invests in flying boom capability or secures assured access from allies, it will have to accept constraints to its military power. Buying frontline jets is only part of the equation. Without the means to sustain them in the air, the UK risks fielding a force that can't reach its target, leaving it a spectator when it matters most. Arun Dawson is a PhD candidate at the Department of War Studies, King's College London.
