MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Falklands Sea Harriers to be replaced

Sea Harrier jump jet aircraft which played such a vital role in the 1982 Falklands War are to be withdrawn from service.

Armed Forces Minister, Adam Ingram, announced in Parliament that the Joint Force Harrier (JFH) will in future comprise only one aircraft, the Royal Air Force ground attack GR7, which will be upgraded to GR9 with the latest precision weapons such as the Brimstone anti-armour missile by 2007.

The 47 Sea Harriers operated by the Royal Navy will be withdrawn from service between 2004 and 2006. Royal Navy pilots will re-train on the GR 9. The decision will also help overcome the shortage of Sea Harrier pilots -- 44 instead of the required 64.

In 1982, the Sea Harrier flying from the aircraft carriers HMS Hermes and HMS Invincible equipped with the latest United States sidewinder missile provided the crucial defensive shield for the Task Force, destroying 22 Argentine warplanes and tipping the balance between defeat and victory.

Mr Ingram, who is to represent the Government at the 20th anniversary celebrations in the Falklands in June, said "new smart weapons have given renewed impetus to the offensive role of Joint Force Harrier, building on the success of Royal Navy and RAF Harrier aircraft operations in joint carrier air groups".

New bigger carriers

The Harrier force will continue to operate from the three light aircraft carriers, HMS Invincible, HMS Illustrious and HMS Ark Royal, all being modernised, until replaced by two larger carriers by 2012 at a cost of 2.7 billion pounds (4-billion dollars).

All the Harriers will then be superseded by the multi-role, all -weather Joint Strike Fighter, being developed with the United States, described by tghe Ministry of Defence as the best aircraft of its type in the world "with the agility of a light fighter and the punch of a bomber" and "stealth" capability to avoid radar detection. The United Kingdom plans to buy 150 for carrier and land-based operations.Two older Type 22 frigates, London and Coventry, are to be sold to Romania, to enable that country to help maintain stability in the Black Sea, regarded as vital in the war against terrorism.

The Government has also announced that the overall trained strength of Britain's armed f