UK Defence Forum

Poiuytrewq wrote:building three cheap EEZ patrol vessels now be a realistic option?

For what? They just built 5 the Navy didn't want.

Can't get past the pay wall There was nothing else about these ships, but if you google a section of the text and enter via google you can usually get past the FT paywall. I was surprised to hear the RN have been exploring the idea for years, and perhaps it does corroborate an earlier comment from ...

A little bit of detail from the financial times; https://www.ft.com/content/71211bdc-6043-11e9-a27a-fdd51850994c For years the Royal Navy has been arguing for the introduction of two littoral strike ships — amphibious landing vessels similar to boats operated by the US navy. They would host 300 Roya...

Repulse wrote:The best outcome remains somehow squeezing another one or two T26s out

That ship has already sailed, the cash is laid down and the welders are at work. Any change to that now is a massive effort, better to take the path of least resistance.

But, it will be more modern design, with much higher potential for export. Reducing to four would be a totally reasonable thing to do right now, perhaps the RN should go one step further and reduce the FSS requirement by one to generate a little more cash for the T31. At the moment the project is a...

Sounds exciting, if the RN are ever going to reintroduce SSK's this is probably the best way to do it. A small fleet of these operating in the north could be a great addition if they can find away round the communication problem, how are the US navy thinking they can work around it? By the way its w...

potential for what? It's hardly preparing pilots for a peer fight.

Two out of six modules were built in Damen. The high value modules are built in the Netherlands, that't the important bit. We now have 2 brilliant examples of next level shipbuilding and exports. Both Naval Group & Damen are exporting frigates with fully integrated masts. The images below are t...

The only hull-section built in Dutch was the bridge+mast part (the most "complex" part), which was shipped to Mexico and then welded together. Have you got a source for this please? The French are doing the same for the Egyptians and I must say its a fantastic example of a modern ship bui...

The middle zone is dangerous, the Navy do not need a Snatch Land Rover at sea. Do our service personnel justice, give them the equipment to fight and win, or do not send them at all. The T31 is corner cutting to the extreme, not even the Brazilian could fit their crap ship inside the Brits budget. E...

donald_of_tokyo wrote:T31e is a fighting vessel

But it isn't.

At best it's a patrol frigate, with 90% of its fighting capability coming from the helicopter. If that is the case, its preferable to buy a commercial vessel that can operate a helicopter.

I would argue something like the above is a dam sight more useful than any of the T31 proposals.

Imagine, would the RN be in a better position if instead of buggering about with the River class and T31 it cracked on with MHPC?

Something similar to the above could be a valuable addition, but I guess it wont take them long to regret not having proper aviation facilities on board. Add a hangar and get a multi role security vessel at the same time. In the end it shouldn't matter what the platform looks like, as long as it can...

Yeah that option wast selected, just thought it was an interesting launch method whereas all other have side davits.

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/D4LUCnkX4AA2m6G?format=jpg&name=900x900 https://pbs.twimg.com/media/D4LUCnkWsAAiQry?format=jpg&name=900x900 https://pbs.twimg.com/media/D4LUCnlWAAAFezp?format=png&name=900x900 More or less the direction the RN is heading in. Looks good.

Would this be the cheapest and most straightforward way to enhance ASW performance without a complete redesign to replace the CODAD system with a Hybrid Electric setup? I don't expect any tweaking will be worthwhile, Babcock are proposing a cheap and nasty architecture that will be difficult to mak...

An interesting thought, it would certainly be an advantage if a future mine clearance platform could operate a capable sonar. However are we ready to make that only solution? Would sprint speed be missed? would the self defence capabilities be missed?

Unfortunately that is not what is on offer

Why does it have to make a difference to a crisis? Isn't improving the mundane simple tasks good enough? The LSS is not a warship, its a support ship that could be highly useful releasing pressure from the very thin escort fleet. With a far greater aviation, boat and human capacity than any T31 prop...

Lord Jim wrote:There is no need for any LHDs unless we increase our Helicopter fleet

Apart from the need to isolate the carrier from the amphibious assault, and apart from the need to save space for the F35.

Without a helicopter platform the carriers are a bodge job, that needs fixing.

Compared to the cost of HMS Ocean or a French LHD the cost is huge, and for what? Space for more aircraft than the UK will ever have.

Yup, started with the appointment of the current SoS and it will finish when he clears his desk. Not really, his predecessor set the wheels in motion by increasing RN presence in the gulf. Williamson is picking up where Fallon left of. I don't expect that to change either, leadership want to mainta...

Great for PR but of little help. I disagree entirely. It's encouraging to see some more novel ideas coming out of the MOD. With the T31 we see the RN retreating into its comfort zone building gun boats to keep the colonies in check, unfortunately that is totally irrelevant these days. On the other ...

Let's not pretend that is anything other than simple routine work. All it need to do if float and move.

Too simplistic. What do you expect an FLSS could achieve with 35 sponsored reserves? The answer is very little apart from move from A to B and keep the lights on and the props turning. I think that's exactly what it's suppose to do. What else does the LSS need to do beside transport a couple of hel...

Even so that is a small, poorly equip corvette built in Brazil, costing more than the ceiling price of a T31. It does not bode well. I don't know if I posted this on here before, but a little reminder there's likely to be little equipment free issued from the government. https://mobile.twitter.com/V...