Air Warfare In The Falklands 1982. Lt Cdr David Morgan DSC. Classic Interview.

Please check out our ever growing range of merchandise here; https://teespring.com/en-GB/stores/mi...

You can follow us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/milairtv/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/militaryavtv/

You can support us at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/MilitaryAviat...
In 1982 Argentina invaded a small group of Islands in the South Atlantic, in doing so it heralded the start of a campaign by Great Britain to retake them. The Falklands War only lasted a couple of months, but it was fought ferociously between the two countries.

One of the major concerns for the British was how they were going to gain air superiority. For Great Britain they had two smallish aircraft carriers, capable of carrying helicopters and the vertical/short take-off & landing Sea Harrier.

The initial small force of 20 Sea Harrier jump jets would have to counter the Argentine threat of about 200+ fast jets, including A-4 Skyhawk and French Dassault Mirage.

The Sea Harrier, which had only entered front-line service in March, 1980 was untested in a hostile environment. More over, the Blue Fox radar fitted in the nose of the aircraft, had only begun to be fitted from early 1981!

Aircraft from 800 & 801 Naval Air Squadrons (NAS) were boosted by aircraft from the headquarters & training unit, 899 NAS. Sea Harrier aircraft were also pulled in from development & testing at Dunsfold and Boscombe Down to supplement the other airframes.

From mid-May additional Sea Harriers arrived in the shape of the newly formed 809 NAS, and these were accompanied by 6 RAF Harrier GR.3. A couple of weeks later another 4 RAF Harriers arrived to the Task Force.

Many pilots were also still under conversion training, with some pilots transferred from the Royal Air Force (RAF) to help the senior service with the entry of the Sea Harrier to the front-line.

During the course of the Falklands War the Sea Harrier force shot-down almost 30 Argentine aircraft, without a single loss in air-to-air combat. Although 6 Sea Harrier were lost to various reasons, with the loss of 4 aircrew.

One of the standout sorties was that conducted by Lt David Morgan DSC & Lt David Smith, both from 800 NAS. The sortie on the evening of 8 June, 1982 has gone down in naval folklore, and this video covers that engagement.

This interview was conducted by ITN back in 1990 at Royal Naval Air Station Yeovilton, and includes great detail of the shooting down of 3 Argentine Skyhawk aircraft.

This is a great, historical interview that gives the viewer a taste of aerial combat in the 20th century.

David Morgan DSC flew 50 combat sorties during the 1982 Falklands War. In total he caused the destruction of two Skyhaws and a Puma transport helicopter in the air. He also destroyed an Islander light transport aircraft on the ground as well as sharing in the destruction of another Puma and an Augusta 109 helicopter.
This made him the top-scoring British pilot during the war and on his return to the UK was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross.
This video is dedicated to those Sea Harrier pilots that didn’t return home;
Lt Cdr G.W.J. Batt, DSC, RN-899 NAS
Lt Cdr J.E.Eyton-Jones, RN-801 NAS
Lt W.A. Curtis, RN- 801 NAS
Lt N. Taylor, RN-800 NAS

Thank You For Watching

PLEASE 'Like', 'Share' & 'Subscribe'.

Видео Air Warfare In The Falklands 1982. Lt Cdr David Morgan DSC. Classic Interview. канала Military Aviation TV