Typhoon fighters flew simulated close air support for infantry assaulting enemy positions during Exercise Cape Upholder in the Falkland Islands, an exercise that closed out the latest roulement infantry company rotation, the Ministry of Defence stated.

The exercise ran from 29 June to 3 July and brought together the 5th Battalion, The Rifles, the Falkland Islands Defence Force and 1435 Flight, the Typhoon detachment within 905 Expeditionary Air Wing.

According to the department, the multi-phase exercise involved live firing from mortars, snipers and machine guns, along with a section attack to take key enemy positions supported by the Typhoons overhead.

Four Typhoon FGR4 aircraft from 1435 Flight hold round-the-clock quick reaction alert covering the airspace over the Falkland Islands, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands. The flight is the smallest fast jet unit in the RAF and is stationed at RAF Mount Pleasant on East Falkland.

Its aircraft carry individual names rather than squadron markings, a practice dating to the unit’s origins defending Malta during the Second World War, where its aircraft were named Faith, Hope, Charity and Desperation. These were, of course, not Spitfires, apologies to our readers for my earlier suggestion they were.

The roulement infantry company is the standing British Army presence on the islands, drawn from a different unit on each rotation and typically deployed for around six months. Its role covers ground defence of Mount Pleasant and the wider infrastructure, along with training across the islands’ terrain, and exercises of this kind are usually run as the outgoing company hands over.

The Falkland Islands Defence Force is the islands’ own volunteer unit, recruited locally and funded by the Falkland Islands Government rather than the Ministry of Defence. It trains alongside British forces and would form part of the ground defence in a crisis.

British Forces South Atlantic Islands is the joint command covering the region, operating Typhoons, A400M and Voyager aircraft, the infantry company and air defence at Mount Pleasant, alongside HMS Medway on the South Atlantic Patrol Task.

The garrison has been maintained continuously since 1982, when the islands were retaken following the Argentine invasion. Argentina continues to claim the territory and raises the question annually at the United Nations, while the British position rests on the 2013 referendum in which islanders voted by 1,513 votes to three to remain a British Overseas Territory.

Photography from the exercise was taken by Corporal James Braithwaite.

Craig Langford
Craig Langford
Trained as a mechanical engineer, Craig took an unconventional route into journalism, bringing with him a rare technical precision and analytical depth that continues to set his reporting apart.

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43 COMMENTS

  1. Juts to be picky, weren’t they Gloster Gladiators that defended Malta… named Faith Hope etc.. not Spitfires? I did hear that it was a bit of myth that they were named… anybody know the facts?

    • They were actually Sea Gladiators left over from HMS Glorious in 1940 The first three were certainly named Faith, Hope and Charity. Not sure about Desperation. I think there were seven or eight of them altogether but not all available at the same time.

      • Hi Geoff

        Yes There were 3 made from parts from 6 Gladiators as you say
        Faith survived and as a young man saw it in the Malta Museum at St Elmo’s Fort in 1966
        Went on to those impressive ramparts afterwards to see USS JF Kennedy anchored offshore whilst the much smaller carrier HMS Eagle sail past and enter Grand Harbour

        • Interesting. I’ve been to Malta twice and never spotted Faith. I might be going again in the spring so I’ll enquire.

          • Checked on the web and “Faith” is there but
            When I was there 60 years ago I was 13 and my memory now maybe playing tricks! but I remember the Sea Gladiator in a much larger space looking impressive. From a recent image online it is in a much smaller space with the wings removed hemmed in by other exhibits
            So it at Fort St Elmo and the National War Museum which includes exhibits from the Great Siege in the 16th Century I was impressed as a young man by the suits of medieval armour with massive metal protuberences protecting what is dear to us between the legs
            There are 2 other WW2 museums
            The Lascaris underground HQ war rooms in central Valletta
            Also the Malta at War Museum (WW2) across Grand Harbour in Birgu

            The Malta Aviation Museum are restoring “Charity” to flying condition out near Mdina

            • Morning. Sorry for the delay but I’ve been away for a couple of days. Thanks for the info. If we do go I’ll take a look/. Iv’e been to a couple of the places you mentioned. I have been racking my brain (?) about a place up in the hills which has a shelter off the basement area of the cafe. I can’t remember the cafe name but the town might be Mgarr? Worth a look if your on the island. Fascinating place.

      • I’m sure our delusional Generals and politicians could ship a Division there tomorrow in their heads.

        I’m fairly confident they are including Army Cadet units and the school minibuses they use to help make up the mystical Division.

        Joking aside, the trip wire force we retain in the Falklands is robust enough and if the level of threat increases over and above latin minded bluster and noise, we can scale it up quickly.

        • Hi John. Politicians unfortunately get very little demand on the doorstep for increases in defence spending. So technically we should be pointing the finger at the British public who have become complacent especially as most of the people who could remember WW2, have either got Alzheimer’s or have been dead a while.

          There are a lot of people in this country who regard having a military as an act of aggression and instead suggest we should dismantle our armed forces and preach love and harmony. 🙂

          • Unfortunately you are right. Their are far too many braindead naive morons in this country. Try waving your flowers and placards preaching peace and love when an invader marches though our cities and see what effects that would have, by then too late. Then they’d belatedly realize it would have been a good idea keeping a decent military.

    • No, I think there should be a whole brigade supported by at least two squadrons each of Typhoons and Lightnings. Maybe a carrier group as well.🙃😊

      • 😁 👍 All garrisoned in a vast underground bunker with VLS and CIWS that emerges from the roof.
        ( even though the terrain is boggy….never mind..)
        🤪

    • We don’t have to retake the Island’s just defend until reinforced or when the Argentines realise the error of thier ways.

    • Any Argentine invasion scenario looks increasingly like a Peronist fantasy given the range of military capabilities the UK has to defend the islands.

      With today’s technology a handful of guys with Javelins could probably defeat any Argentine amphibious force coming ashore. An opposed amphibious landing nowadays is all but suicidal.

      To land they would need to come in by helicopter which is very dangerous with a system as capable as CAMM never mind four typhoons over head and once we have PrSM on M270 next year just one launcher could hold any Argentine ship at risk of anti ship ballistic missiles attack with in a 300-600mil range of the islands or devistate any landing area at any location on the island.

      The UK has access to extensive ELINT capability in the area as well as a number of SAR and EO satellite constellations both American, European and Sovereign so any invasion force will likely be spotted well in advance (not nat Argentina even has such a force)

      The BAE Azalea satellite constellation already flying could provide targeting data for a PrSM anti ship strike as could the soon to fly Oberon Constellation from Airbus defence and space.

      No one wants to hear it but the British military is more capable of dealing with a threat to the islands now than at any time since 1982.

      • I agree.
        Love the amphibious point. Our LPD were all sunset capabilities that wouldn’t last 5 minutes ( I disagree, but never mind ) yet Argentina with less of a capability will somehow happily use them across 400 miles of ocean.
        And now they’re somehow fine. 🤔
        Without being seen, JSSU, and more widelyGCHQ and 5 Eyes, which covers the world, will all be asleep.
        Dastardly……
        As I suggested yesterday, the force level reflects the threat. If needed, more assets can be deployed.
        Without being hit, unlike the landing in 82 which was.

        • I agree, it’s always a double standard in the media and the talking heads. Our LPD’s are useless in modern conflict yet some how Argentina can just rock in to the Falklands and grab it from us using old LST’s and all the well trained British soldiers and fakland island reservists armed with Javelins will do nothing 😀

      • Jim, CAMM, aka, Sky Sabre, is surely very capable but I doubt we have more than one or two launchers at MPA at most. In the days of Rapier we had far more than that at MPA.

          • I agree Jonathan and even without it these days Stanley airport is easily big enough for A400M and C17. The UK just has so many expeditionary capabilities that it didn’t have in 1982 least of all two massive aircraft carriers armed with the world’s most advanced stealth jets. For sure we have some limits on escorts currently but when operating a fleet of 48 F35B against a fleet of 24 F16 A and B’s with no anti ship missile capability you won’t need that many escorts.

        • Hi Graham, it’s not publicly disclosed how many launch vehicles are in the Falklands but it’s believed to be two or three. However Sky Sabre is fully integrated with the Remote Radar Heads (RRHs) which is the Falklands land based radar via link 16. That means the two or three launchers could be anywhere on East Falkland and they have a minimum disclosed range of 25km.

          Sky Sabre in the Falklands is a quantum leap beyond Rapier just three launch vehicles can provide coverage for most of East Falkland and that’s without CAMM ER or CAMM MR which are both future possibilities. The missile can engage low flying targets without line of sight so potentially no where on the island would be safe for helicopters or low flying aircraft.

          The RAF regiment is also operating Rapid Sentry for airfield defence and the army and marines both have star streak which is very similar to Rapier in range but much more effective. It’s not disclosed if any are routinely at MPA but both could be sent very quickly if required.

          • Thanks Jim. I understand that the RA has only 7 CAMM systems (but 6 more are on order). Too few by far. I recall my own detachment to FI (HQ BFFI) over 25 years ago.

  4. Why not give the title “The 5th Battalion opens fire near Falklands to deter Argentina” to add some drama?

  6. ‘an exercise that closed out the latest roulement infantry company rotation’. Am i reading that wrong? Surely this is an exercise to have at the beginning of a roulement company rotation, no?

    • It’s a 6 month deployment, they’ll have exercises across it and in lead up to whatever happens next, not just at the beginning.

    • Hi Big…When I was in FI many moons ago the RIC seemed to be almost always on patrol somewhere in the islands or on exercise. You don’t think they just do one exercise in 6 months?

    • From what I remember, one voted leave in error, one voted leave for a laugh, and one voted leave so it didn’t look like a Putin-esque election.

    • I seem to remember reading, at the time, that they were Argentinians who had the right to vote. I’ve also heard (I’ve no idea whether it’s true) that there were around a dozen working there, with the majority voting to stay British

      I’d love it if that was true

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