New Battle of Britain looms
by Sanjeev Gupta, Zurich Intermedia.

London, August 20, 2050: As preparations begin for commemorations of the 100th anniversary of the iconic Battle of Britain, in which a few hundred RAF pilots held the might of the German Luftwaffe at bay, tensions within Europe over access to fresh water are threatening to ignite a new aerial war.

Lough Neagh, the largest freshwater lake in the UK, and one of the last remaining in Europe, was the scene of a dramatic conflict last month when the Euro water freighter Pelikan sailed up the Bann Estuary in Northern Island to fulfil an existing contract to load water.

The move was a deliberate provocation by the Euro Government after it failed in the World Maritime Court to force the UK Government to reverse a recent decision to ban all water exports given the current drought in the UK.

The Pelikan refused to leave the dock in Toomebridge and subsequently all traffic on the critical Bann Estuary Freshwater Route has ground to a halt.

British naval efforts to forcibly tow the Pelikan were rebuffed when the Euro Republic responded by stationing Unmanned Attack Helicopters on the deck of the Pelikan and warned they would be used to defend the vessel if attacked.

The Luftwaffe Mosquito UAH

The tension is rising against a background of unease in Europe about the complicated system of water rights negotiated in the early 2020s, and increasing pressure on natural fesh water supplies to feed demand for hydrogen fuel cell powered vehicles.

Both the ER and the UK have placed their air forces on alert to respond to any military action at Lough Neagh.

SIDEBAR: Who would win a new Battle of Britain? By Damon Sin Teng, Zurich Intermedia Defence Analyst.

Ironically the British military lethargy which nearly cost them the Battle of Britain 100 years ago, may once again cost them dearly if the UK and ER come to blows over water.

The British public has elected an unbroken chain of non-interventionist governments since its unfortunate alliance with the then United States of America during the Oil Wars. Defence spending is capped under British law at 1% or less of GDP and may only be used for defense purposes.

Britain therefore lacks any ability to project air power, relying almost entirely on ground and satellite based laser interception systems which were commissioned in the early 2040s and are due for decommissioning by 2055. No successor for this air defence system has yet been announced, or field tested, though a Request for Tender was issued two years ago.

The ER on the other hand, as the lead country Pan Continental Pre-Emptive Response Initiative, engaged in a steady build up of its offensive capabilities following the damaging ER-Turkish conflict. The smaller but more modern Turkish forces exacted a heavy toll on the obsolescent ER force dispatched to Turkey (made up primarily of German land and air units).

Recent acquisitions and a home grown aeronautics and space defence sector have given the ER the most potent air force in the region, though still not comparable to China or India.

Most worrying for the UK will be the ER USV (Unmanned Space Vehicle) Dropship Luftflotte, which can be deployed from its orbiting satellite platform to any location in the UK within 30 minutes of activation.

Roughly 200 aircraft strong, and armed with thermobaric missiles, it is unlikely the UK laser defence system will be effective against it.