Falklands War: Bomber Alley

[Sabre]

This was a mean, vicious little war and one with lasting repercussions to this day. Do correct me if Im wrong but Britain was going to retire both their light CVs and had no plans to build new ones at the time. So the Royal Navy was basically saved by the conflict and the eventual outcome of it will be  launched in a few years as the Queen Liz CVs.

It also, along with the Persian Gulf tanker war, brought home the message of the danger of ASMs. I cant remember the exact details but wasnt a troop convoy ship hit by one with a lot of casualties? Tho they were soundly defeated the Argie Air Forces were no push over.

Excellent points.  It also accelerated the deployment of the Phalanx CIWS weapon system on USN ships (and England bought a bunch, too, as I recall).  General Dynamics, who built the Phalanx demonstrated shortly after the war that it could intercept and destroy the Exocet, even given the limited warning the Sheffield had (assuming it had been enabled, of course).  Really ticked off the French, too, as their sudden surge in orders for the Exocet was dampened somewhat by the news that the US already had a turnkey system to defeat them.

[Vulcan]

Yeah, but they didn't and it hasn't!

The Argentines used Skyhawks, Mirage and Daggers (Israeli Mirage).

I saw the Vulcan at Manston this year, and very impressive it was!

I thought they held the Mirages and Daggers back. It was Skyhawks, Pucara's (based on the island), and Super Etendard's, The really low flying stuff was A4 Skyhawks coming in using the land to mask themselves on radar - dropping primarily bombs (not ASM's). They flew so low a lot of the bombs failed to fuze properly. The Exocets (ASM) were fired at standoff distances by the Etendards IIRC. I don't think the Pucara's got off the ground much (if at all).

[Ack-Ack]

I thought they held the Mirages and Daggers back. It was Skyhawks, Pucara's (based on the island), and Super Etendard's, The really low flying stuff was A4 Skyhawks coming in using the land to mask themselves on radar - dropping primarily bombs (not ASM's). They flew so low a lot of the bombs failed to fuze properly. The Exocets (ASM) were fired at standoff distances by the Etendards IIRC. I don't think the Pucara's got off the ground much (if at all).

Some strikes were flown with the Mirage and Daggers but with the lack of in-flight refueling, it really hampered operations of both planes.  I think the Daggers flew over a 100 missions and the Mirages a bit less.  The short legs of the Mirage also prevented it from acting in the escort role protecting the strike planes.

ack-ack

[Shifty]

I was stationed in the UK during the Falklands War. It was a very interesting time to be in a country at war and it not be your own.

[xbrit]

Though it showed a lot of the fleet deploying from UK a large force left from Gibraltar. I was stationed in Gib at the time, we worked about 18 hours a day until we got support from UK for about a week.

[SEraider]

I remember Argentina sank an English destroyer.  Margaret wanted to strike Argentina's 2nd largest city with a nuke and Reagan stopped her.   

[danny76]

I did my signals course at Bovington with an ex Royal Navy submariner who served in the Falklands on a boat that was not HMS Conqueror there specifically with a view to a nuclear option.

In regards to the AA missiles, there was also Rapier based on the land around San Carlos water, that were credited with ground to air kills, a lot of footage includes a massive amount of small arms fire as enemy aircraft passed by, and an SAS team destroyed one with a stinger system, before they toddled off to Pebble Island and destroyed the Pucara fleet with sledge hammers and bare hands

[expat]

Went down south twice , first time 89-90 second time 98 .For R&R the second time i stayed at Pebble Island ,there was a wreck of a Puccara and a Skyvan still there .The guy showing me around was a kid at Pebble during the war he said after it had finished he and his mates used to use the bits of solid rocket propellant from argie  (2.75 in ??) rockets to start fires !!!!Also on pebble was a wreck of a Mirage /Dagger couldn't tell which, it was spread out over a large area  the largest part being an intake with the gun trough .

[Shifty]

I remember Argentina sank an English destroyer.  Margaret wanted to strike Argentina's 2nd largest city with a nuke and Reagan stopped her.   

Not likely, Margret Thatcher proved to be a wise wartime PM.

[danny76]

I remember Argentina sank an English destroyer.  Margaret wanted to strike Argentina's 2nd largest city with a nuke and Reagan stopped her.   

They sank Antelope, Sheffield,Antrim, Atlantic Conveyor and Galahad IIRC.
That was before Brit secret services bought up all the worlds supply of exocets and put a stop to the rotters. Then we gave them a vigorous shoeing

[GScholz]

[Ripsnort]

I remember Argentina sank an English destroyer.  Margaret wanted to strike Argentina's 2nd largest city with a nuke and Reagan stopped her.   

BS.

[xbrit]

BS.

Stop beating around the bush and say what you mean !!!

[SEraider]

Not likely, Margret Thatcher proved to be a wise wartime PM.

It was reported on TV ok.  Rosario was the 2nd largest city at the time in Argentina and that is what was talked about.

Stop beating around the bush and say what you mean !!!

Really? how??

[BreakingBad]

Margaret wanted to strike Argentina's 2nd largest city with a nuke and Reagan stopped her. 

I don't think that's true. 

I recall a documentary describing how there was a good deal of friction between the leaders over this war though.  Or maybe there was a good deal of collaboration...

I can't recall anymore, I'm getting old.