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Aviation History
1955
1955 - 1201.PDF
p FLIGHT, 26 1955 315 i COMMONWEALTH - AIR STRATEGY . . . Pupils of the Royal Rhodesian Air Force examine a Provost, their standard basic trainer. Cyprus, will control R.A.F. units in Iraq, Jordan, Cyprus,and Libya and will be responsible for R.A.F. interests in Egypt when withdrawal from the Canal Zone is complete. Its maintask, obviously, is to protect air bases in the Middle East which would be vital to Commonwealth communications and reinforce-ment in time of war. Although Habbaniya is no longer an R.A.F. base, British aircraftare able to use it much as they please. In return, Britain has obligations to help defend Iraq. Jordan, too, is assured of Britishmilitary aid if attacked, and a Venom squadron is based per- manently at Amman, with a further base available at Mafrak.These treaty obligations are by no means mere scraps of paper, for there is still very real danger of trouble between Israel and theArab states. The southern half of the Command—Headquarters BritishForces, Aden—controls R.A.F. units in Aden Colony and Protec- torate, along the South Arabian coast, in Kenya and the Sudan,and is responsible for the Persian Gulf staging posts of Bahrein and Sharjah. This also is no sinecure. Easing of the situation in Kenya hasmade it possible to withdraw R.A.F. bombers, leaving only Har- vards to support the land forces dealing with Mau Mau. But theborder dispute with Yemen has called for considerable "police" action in the past months by the Venoms, Vampires and Valettasof the air forces, which are being supplemented by an armoured car squadron manned by Aden Levies, under officers of theR.A.F. Regiment. The R.A.F. has been engaged in this kind of "colonial warfare"for more than 30 years, and will probably have to carry on the spasmodic fighting so long as air bases are needed in this part ofthe world. Until recently, its burden in the Middle East was shared by theR.A.A.F. and the R.N.Z.A.F.; but it is now alone. South Africa might be expected to show an interest in the defence of the area,which is the "gateway to Africa," but is more concerned with home problems. It has no regional treaty obligations, and theSouth African Air Force is therefore, to all intents and purposes, a home defence force. Purchase of Canadair-built Sabres willstrengthen its intercepter and ground attack wings, and it would be able to play some part in maintaining Commonwealthsea communications in wartime with its Shackleton 3s. But, otherwise, the S.A.A.F. appears to have little part in overallstrategy. The Royal Rhodesian Air Force, commanded by A. Cdre.E. W. S. Jack]in, is in much the same position, although its problems are perhaps less acute. With an ultimate objective oftwo ground-attack fighter squadrons and one transport squadron, it is at present concentrating on training, using the same Provost-Vampire sequence as the R.A.F. A later batch of 12 "Armed Provosts" will double as both trainers and highly effective supportaircraft for "police" actions. Although concerned mainly with home defence, the R.R.A.F.is also responsible for aerial survey work, for which it uses Dakotas and Pembrokes; communications, with Pembrokes, Ansons andRapides; and flying doctor/air ambulance services to clinics in the native reserves with Harvards, Austers and Rapides. Althoughapparently of only local value, such services have an international importance in that they contribute to internal stability. More critical than even the Middle East at the present time isthe situation in the Far East, where the trouble in Malaya is only one of a complex series of defence problems. Assorted treaties promise mutual aid in the event of armedattack on any of the signatories; but this is an area where local wars are far more likely than full-scale ones, and the problem ofpreventing further Communist infiltration is acute. R.A.F. effort is concentrated in the Far East Air Force underthe command of Air Marshal Sir Francis Fressanges, who has his headquarters at Singapore, with Air Headquarters in Malaya,Cevlon and Hong Kong. The main task is. of course, the bandit war in Ma'aya, which could hardly have been fought without theaid of the transport and supply-dropping Valettas, and the Pioneers and helicopters of the R.A.F. and Fleet Air Arm. For-tunately, Australia and New Zealand have accepted the fact that the front line of their defence is in Malaya, and No. 1 (Lincoln) (Lett) Maintenance of Attackers of the Royal Pakistan Air Force. (Right) Preparing for a flight in a Vampire Til of the Royal Rhodesian Air Force
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