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By TOM NEWTON DUNN
In a fresh military equipment scandal, the entire 25-year-old fleet of Lynx choppers was sent home in May, The Sun can reveal. That has left Our Boys with just 13 working helicopters to serve all 9,000 troops. The news comes as the Government announced it WOULD boost our forces in the battle against ruthless Taliban insurgents — but ONLY with 140 more troops. And the revelation flies in the face of PM Gordon Brown’s insistence that chopper numbers there had increased. As the helicopter row dominated the Commons yesterday, sources in Helmand said they had actually fallen to their lowest in a year.The Lynx carry four passengers and are used for reconnaissance and to ferry commanders around the battlefield. If they were in service, they may have saved Welsh Guards Commanding Officer Lt Col Rupert Thorneloe, 39. He had to be driven to a meeting in a Viking tracked vehicle and died alongside Trooper Joshua Hammond, 18, when a roadside bomb ripped through the poorly-armoured vehicle. The Lynx were withdrawn because their ageing engines were no longer powerful enough to lift them in the summer heat. They are undergoing a major rehaul, but will not be available for full service until next April. A furious officer in Afghanistan said: “Our men and our friends are dying because we cannot fly them — that is a fact. The Lynx wouldn’t save all lives lost, but they would save some.
“They have been withdrawn because they are falling apart, and just when we need them most.” Tory defence spokesman Dr Liam Fox said: “I am stunned. There is an ever-growing gap between what the Government say and what is happening on the ground.” In a second helicopter shambles, we can also reveal the arrival of eight desperately-needed new Merlin choppers in Helmand has been delayed by SIX MONTHS. They were promised to commanders this summer after their mission ended in Iraq — but they will not now arrive until December. With so few helicopters available, officers have to send supplies and reinforcements by road, exposing them to hidden bombs. However, while our troops have a paltry ratio of one chopper for every 700 soldiers, our US allies have 150 Chinooks and Blackhawks for their 29,000 troops — a ratio of one for every 200. Tory leader David Cameron said the PM had to deal with the shortage of helicopters “as a matter of extreme emergency”. Mr Brown told MPs funding for Afghanistan from Treasury reserves has grown from £700million to more than £3billion since 2006. He added: “I am confident that we are right to be in Afghanistan, that we have the strongest possible plan and we have the resources needed to do the job.” Experts have warned extra troops will be needed to defeat the Taliban and two months ago top brass asked for 2,000 more. Yesterday it emerged that a 140-strong company from the 2nd Battalion, the Princess of Wales’s Royal Regiment would fly out from Cyprus. Dr Fox said: “Commanders will be sorely disappointed.” Our daring push into the Helmand heartlands — dubbed Operation Panther’s Claw — has seen 15 servicemen killed in just ten days. Eight died in just 24 hours at the end of last week. The fallen men from the 2nd Battalion The Rifles were Cpl Jonathan Horne, 28, Rfn Daniel Simpson, 20, and 18-year-old Rfn Joe Murphy, Will Aldridge and James Backhouse. A sixth killed on Friday in a bomb blast was Cpl Lee Scott, 26, of the 2nd Royal Tank Regiment. The evening before, Rfn Daniel Hume, 22, of 4th Battalion The Rifles, and Pte John Brackpool, 27, 1st Battalion Welsh Guards, also died. The bodies of the eight will be flown home today. Hundreds of comrades held a moving memorial service at sunset for them last night at Helmand HQ Camp Bastion. Meanwhile in Croydon, South London, Daniel’s family flew a St George’s flag at half-mast on a pole outside their home. Elder brother Jimmy said: “He loved being in the Army. It was a job he really enjoyed doing. He was just a diamond geezer and I’m going to miss him like hell.” At Will’s old school — Minster College in Leominster, Herefordshire — chairman of governors Brigadier Peter Jones said: “He was the sort of young recruit I would have liked when I was a commanding officer. “Had he gone on to the sixth form, this would have been his last week of school.” Father-of-two Lee, from Ely Cambs, was described by proud wife Nikki as her “best friend”. She added: “He was so full of life and permanently had a cheeky grin on his face.” In Castle Bromwich, Birmingham, Joe’s family described him as “a fine young man who will stay in our hearts forever”.
mailto:%20t.newtondunn@the-sun.co.uk
“They have been withdrawn because they are falling apart, and just when we need them most.” Tory defence spokesman Dr Liam Fox said: “I am stunned. There is an ever-growing gap between what the Government say and what is happening on the ground.” In a second helicopter shambles, we can also reveal the arrival of eight desperately-needed new Merlin choppers in Helmand has been delayed by SIX MONTHS. They were promised to commanders this summer after their mission ended in Iraq — but they will not now arrive until December. With so few helicopters available, officers have to send supplies and reinforcements by road, exposing them to hidden bombs. However, while our troops have a paltry ratio of one chopper for every 700 soldiers, our US allies have 150 Chinooks and Blackhawks for their 29,000 troops — a ratio of one for every 200. Tory leader David Cameron said the PM had to deal with the shortage of helicopters “as a matter of extreme emergency”. Mr Brown told MPs funding for Afghanistan from Treasury reserves has grown from £700million to more than £3billion since 2006. He added: “I am confident that we are right to be in Afghanistan, that we have the strongest possible plan and we have the resources needed to do the job.” Experts have warned extra troops will be needed to defeat the Taliban and two months ago top brass asked for 2,000 more. Yesterday it emerged that a 140-strong company from the 2nd Battalion, the Princess of Wales’s Royal Regiment would fly out from Cyprus. Dr Fox said: “Commanders will be sorely disappointed.” Our daring push into the Helmand heartlands — dubbed Operation Panther’s Claw — has seen 15 servicemen killed in just ten days. Eight died in just 24 hours at the end of last week. The fallen men from the 2nd Battalion The Rifles were Cpl Jonathan Horne, 28, Rfn Daniel Simpson, 20, and 18-year-old Rfn Joe Murphy, Will Aldridge and James Backhouse. A sixth killed on Friday in a bomb blast was Cpl Lee Scott, 26, of the 2nd Royal Tank Regiment. The evening before, Rfn Daniel Hume, 22, of 4th Battalion The Rifles, and Pte John Brackpool, 27, 1st Battalion Welsh Guards, also died. The bodies of the eight will be flown home today. Hundreds of comrades held a moving memorial service at sunset for them last night at Helmand HQ Camp Bastion. Meanwhile in Croydon, South London, Daniel’s family flew a St George’s flag at half-mast on a pole outside their home. Elder brother Jimmy said: “He loved being in the Army. It was a job he really enjoyed doing. He was just a diamond geezer and I’m going to miss him like hell.” At Will’s old school — Minster College in Leominster, Herefordshire — chairman of governors Brigadier Peter Jones said: “He was the sort of young recruit I would have liked when I was a commanding officer. “Had he gone on to the sixth form, this would have been his last week of school.” Father-of-two Lee, from Ely Cambs, was described by proud wife Nikki as her “best friend”. She added: “He was so full of life and permanently had a cheeky grin on his face.” In Castle Bromwich, Birmingham, Joe’s family described him as “a fine young man who will stay in our hearts forever”.
mailto:%20t.newtondunn@the-sun.co.uk
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