Falkland Islands based PHAROS SG, on regular deployment as a South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands fishery patrol vessel, returned on Tuesday morning to Stanley Harbour, after assisting in the search for wreckage and debris from the Chilean C130 aircraft that went missing on Monday 09 December.
The contract to repair the 3,000-meter runway at RAF Ascension Island has yet to be awarded, and work may not be complete until 2022. It has been partially closed since April 2017. This means the Falkland Islands/Brize Norton airbridge will continue to operate through Cape Verde.
Thousands of people have gathered outside Buckingham Palace to watch a fly-past of aircraft to mark the centenary of the Royal Air Force. Almost 100 planes representing the RAF over the years flew over The Mall following a parade by personnel.
Remains of one of the ten Spitfires paid for by the people of the Falkland Islands during WWII which was found back in 1979, forty years later led to a search on the incident, the pilot, his family and even possibly an appropriate monument to the 20-year old Sergeant, reports the Shropshire Star.
The Defense Secretary has announced up to £80m will be invested in a new computer system to boost the RAF's speed and accuracy. Known as Project Guardian, the Air Command and Control System will support early detection and rapid response to potential hostile or suspect aircraft.
The Falkland Islands also joined Royal Air Force centenary celebrations. Despite poor weather the hangar event held at Mount Pleasant Complex, MPC, to celebrate RAF 100 the Royal Air Force Centenary (April 1) “went off perfectly,” according to spokesperson for the event.
The Brazilian government discards any “irregularities” in allowing British military aircraft, flying to or from the Falkland Islands, landing in its airports since the authorizations are humanitarian motivated, revealed a source from the Brazilian government to the Argentine news agency, Telam.
The RAF Hercules flight which last Saturday landed in the international Brazilian airport of Porto Alegre was flying from the Falkland Islands on a search and rescue mission, as part of a humanitarian effort, according to the Brazilian reply delivered to the Argentine foreign ministry, and reported by political analyst Martin Dinatale.
The Falkland Islands community bid farewell to two Search & Rescue (SAR) helicopters today after over three decades of service. Both the two RAF Sea King helicopters were brought to the capital Stanley today for the local community to say goodbye, as well as meet the crew who man the aircraft. The new AAR helicopter, which will replace the existing RAF SAR service, was also present at the farewell today.
More than 74 years of continuous Royal Air Force UK search and rescue (SAR) air operations drew to a close this month, as the Service handed over SAR duties to the Maritime & Coastguard Agency and Bristow Helicopters Ltd. SAR operated mostly in the UK, Falkland Islands and Cyprus.