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war with Spain/Argentina?

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Original post by Tempest II
Unless they buy Swedish Gripen fighter jets then they'd have no way of getting past the RAF's jets.


1. The Gripen isn't that good. It's a nice light fighter, but no more than that.
2. It's part built by BAE, so the British government can and would veto any sale to Argentina.
Original post by Drewski
1. The Gripen isn't that good. It's a nice light fighter, but no more than that.
2. It's part built by BAE, so the British government can and would veto any sale to Argentina.


http://www.defenseindustrydaily.com/two-to-tango-argentina-looking-for-new-warplanes-022821/

I can't see it happening either. According to some sources it sounds like Argentina is attempting to procure new aircraft but I doubt they'll get anything even as advanced as the Gripen. It's not as though it'd be easy to disguise a military build up so it should be possible to increase RAF & RN assets down there if necessary.
Original post by Tempest II
http://www.defenseindustrydaily.com/two-to-tango-argentina-looking-for-new-warplanes-022821/

I can't see it happening either. According to some sources it sounds like Argentina is attempting to procure new aircraft but I doubt they'll get anything even as advanced as the Gripen. It's not as though it'd be easy to disguise a military build up so it should be possible to increase RAF & RN assets down there if necessary.


Yeah, I know the stories. And know how they've chopped and changed their ideas for years. I also know that all the chat has stopped rather abruptly since Kirchner has been out of office (and subsequently now investigated by police).

Even if they could find a set of aircraft to buy, they cannot afford them.
Even if the people selling them decided that they might do without the money for them, the Argentineans would need years to get trained on anything that approaches a modern aircraft.

Any suggestion that the Falklands are about to be invaded should be laughed out of the room.

And yeah, we might not have a carrier, but we proved a couple of years ago that we can get more Typhoons to the island in a day.

This used to be my job, I know the field!
(edited 7 years ago)
Fight it, neither could realistically win. The Argies have no functioning navy or air force and their army is practically non existent, a WWII veteran could probably beat then bare handed. As for Spain, well their spending is 0.6% GDP, they're very weak and even their home field advantage will count for little, especially when their forces controlled by the EU are taken out of the mix and the rest of NATO should be on our sides, both are push overs

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Original post by JamesN88
There's an interesting assessment of the chance of an attack on the Falklands here.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/southamerica/falklandislands/11501211/Argentina-wouldnt-dare-to-invade-the-Falklands-again-says-Colonel-Tim-Collins.html

The TL;DR summary is that one of the Royal Navy's Type-45 destroyers could handle every aircraft in South America attacking and the Argies can't even afford fuel for their navy, so don't worry about an invasion any time soon.


They don't need to worry about fuel, they literally have no ships that are actually able to be put into the field, they're either in disrepair and stuck in drydock, or the crews have insufficient training, I think the average sub crew only has 19 hours in the last 6 months.

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Original post by Jammy Duel
They don't need to worry about fuel, they literally have no ships that are actually able to be put into the field, they're either in disrepair and stuck in drydock, or the crews have insufficient training, I think the average sub crew only has 19 hours in the last 6 months.

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In effect we could probably deter them with a few traffic wardens.
Original post by JamesN88
In effect we could probably deter them with a few traffic wardens.


If it were between the Argies and a centenarian war veteran living at the opposite end of port Stanley to the governor's residence who has their teeth out and is missing bargain hunters, I would sooner put my money on the centenarian occupying the Falklands.

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Original post by Razamataz666
i put this question to you - if Spain/Argentina invaded Gibraltar/the Falklands islands what would be your response, let them have it or go to war?


While it's highly unlikely that Spain would be that crazy my reaction to both is that to cede and inch of territory would not be tolerable. If the Argies or Spanish attacked, i'd call on us to sink their entire navy and down their entire air force.
Original post by Rakas21
While it's highly unlikely that Spain would be that crazy my reaction to both is that to cede and inch of territory would not be tolerable. If the Argies or Spanish attacked, i'd call on us to sink their entire navy and down their entire air force.


During the Falkland's War we should have attacked Mainland Argentina, I find it truly stupid that we didn't.
Reply 29
If they are the aggressors as suggested we fight and we win easily, as has been stated the argies armed forces are a joke and if NATO picked a side v Spain they would likely back us so Spain would be an easy win and if NATO stayed out we have the fire power to win, the only EU nations who could beat us would probably be France (we are both pretty even) and Germany (if they could make it last for a while, a short war we would win.
I'd say war / at least get Gibraltar back, because otherwise it'd show us as a very weak nation, on which people can trample.
Or we diplomatically / economically corner them.
I'd have a referendum. Irrespective of whether or not they actually invade.
Now that we're out of the EU tho.. I wonder if that means that the EU's position on Gibraltar will shift in favor of their remaining member state.
Original post by The_Opinion
During the Falkland's War we should have attacked Mainland Argentina, I find it truly stupid that we didn't.


I believe that the rules of a just war include a 'proportional response' and that's probably part of the Geneva Convention.

Personally, i have never been a fan of the rules of a just war. If having the ISIS leaders heads handed to me on a plate meant that i needed to wipe out the entire population of Raqqa, i would.
They better be damned careful otherwise they might wake up and find Madrid an Buenos aires are now Great Madrid and Buenos London
Original post by Tempest II
http://www.defenseindustrydaily.com/two-to-tango-argentina-looking-for-new-warplanes-022821/

I can't see it happening either. According to some sources it sounds like Argentina is attempting to procure new aircraft but I doubt they'll get anything even as advanced as the Gripen. It's not as though it'd be easy to disguise a military build up so it should be possible to increase RAF & RN assets down there if necessary.


Didnt the argies do a trade with Russia a few years ago.. something like a couple of 1960's Russian jets for 10,000 cows or something

Seems i remembered well. 12 aircraft on lease for wheat and beef lol

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/southamerica/argentina/11491467/Falklands-defence-Why-is-Argentina-considering-an-aircraft-deal-with-the-Russians.html
(edited 7 years ago)
Original post by Betelgeuse-
Didnt the argies do a trade with Russia a few years ago.. something like a couple of 1960's Russian jets for 10,000 cows or something

Seems i remembered well. 12 aircraft on lease for wheat and beef lol

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/southamerica/argentina/11491467/Falklands-defence-Why-is-Argentina-considering-an-aircraft-deal-with-the-Russians.html


They can probably be shot down by a 10 year old with a slingshot

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Original post by Betelgeuse-
Didnt the argies do a trade with Russia a few years ago.. something like a couple of 1960's Russian jets for 10,000 cows or something

Seems i remembered well. 12 aircraft on lease for wheat and beef lol

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/southamerica/argentina/11491467/Falklands-defence-Why-is-Argentina-considering-an-aircraft-deal-with-the-Russians.html


It was mooted. But like all other plans with Argentina, it never happened. They still fly the same aircraft they did in 1982.

Original post by The_Opinion
During the Falkland's War we should have attacked Mainland Argentina, I find it truly stupid that we didn't.


That was the purpose of the Black Buck raids. We let them know that we could strike them. They backed off, put more resources into defending Buenos Aires which in turn made it easier for us to get the islands back.
(edited 7 years ago)
Original post by Drewski
It was mooted. But like all other plans with Argentina, it never happened. They still fly the same aircraft they did in 1982.



That was the purpose of the Black Buck raids. We let them know that we could strike them. They backed off, put more resources into defending Buenos Aires which in turn made it easier for us to get the islands back.


Should have gone through with it and repeatedly bombarded the mainland. The idea of that circle around the islands in which fighting was allowed is one of the strangest military ideas I have ever come across. It specially worked to Argentines advantage,
Original post by The_Opinion
Should have gone through with it and repeatedly bombarded the mainland. The idea of that circle around the islands in which fighting was allowed is one of the strangest military ideas I have ever come across. It specially worked to Argentines advantage,


That's not quite what it was, the exclusion zone was more of a warning and a statement of control. It was a "if you enter this circle, you won't leave it alive" thing. And it worked.

We didn't want to bombard the mainland because, at the time, there wasn't the ability to not hurt civilians in their thousands - we knew the Argentinian civilians weren't the enemy.

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