UK Defence Forum

Timmymagic wrote:post 2026 [)] but that would still leave a fair gap to max takeoff weight

If we were to intro AShMs, say in the guise of JSMs, woud that still be the case?

would be a big step to have another 30 squadrons of something like this able to carry 4 or so hellfire or Brimstone or even LMM able to carry out armed re-con Agree; NATO AFs are 'overconcentrated' on interdiction and there are too few assets for CAS to be available where and when needed. - helicop...

Ron5 wrote:rheinmetall-to-show-next_gen-130mm-

Why have they been trucking ... err, on a train, the old 140 mm prototype [tank] around the country,
has it been to try this one out (and now to be outed)?

We know how politicians work the arguments against 4 small over 2 larger carriers was that we would ended up with 2 small in the end Stereotypes are not very useful, at least for arriving at conclusions - how did we end up from 3 small to 2 larger? It is up to Navy leadership to articulate the diff...

the 'Future Commando Force' which looks as though it will create more small specialist units to support a wider operation. Is there a doc somewhere, titled as per the quote? It’s similar to the arguments that were made about having 4 Cavour size carriers instead of the 2 QEs Well, not quite. The mi...

be achieved by Bay Class style platforms, or a modern LST refresh. Which makes the most sense? A great find, and would much rather have something like those than put Bays close to the shore - of commercial stds; hence the main defence against taking hits is that they are full of air... some types o...

jedibeeftrix wrote: retains 8x LCU's bays to be able to surge and support

Agreed. And though I don't have "metrics" I understand that adding a dock (not a steel beach) ups the build cost quite a bit, so there must be a limit in hull size under which it does not make sense to do it?

Tempest414 wrote:armed UAV would be better but we are not there yet

https://imgr.cliqz.com/AqlICiZIVRB0NWSV ... C5qcGc.jpg showing a dinky missile on the side of Camcopter

RichardIC wrote:For chasing down drug runners, where whatever the RN can provide is going to be a tiny fraction of US resources

V true. Never quite got to the bottom of it: are we there - aside from HADR - so that it is legit for the US (non-military) boarding teams to operate also in "our" waters?

forward based in the Caribbean? The (alleged) location for the fwrd base was quite surprising as there is hardly anything there, as of now. Nothing much heard lately, perhaps our man on the spot, @Caribbean, has the latest? Rivers in the Caribbean have been given the rationale that by training the ...

Nahh...

One of these, https://armyrecognition.com/images/stor ... en_003.jpg
which could keep firing while in the water
- direct fire only, though

allow them to continue to operate in UK home waters to around 2027 (at which point they will 25 years old). This will allow the B2 OPVs to be forward deployed Sounds like stretching out build monies... The B1 OPV hulls will not be replaced by any further orders for OPVs, but instead there will a se...

would give you the ability to move 5000 troops and there kit if the 4 Enforcers and 1 FLSS were in over load How did you estimate that, other than by the number of able bodied soldiers in their boots? As an AI (mech) bde in metric tons - I don't have the LIMs for anything else than 3 CDO - would se...

Is it to the north points to Norway then drive. Reminds me that we did that for the latest, large-scale NATO exercise, but v little written about it in a 'post mortem' way. carriers, ssbns or amphibious, you can do 1 of those at a stretch 2 but not all 3 Comes close to my repeated argument of "...

holes in the lines. runs sort of contrary to the thought of dispersed battle? All of this is going to be very new. Researching the primary sources for the subject of “light infantry” the puzzling fact is that there are little or no references to the subject. Ancient historians like Thucydides, Xeno...

what the Army is aspiring to with the new Strike Brigades Brings to mind that Rommel's 5th D was actually "Light" rather than Pz and he used it to a good effect. Even though he did not have a full Corps, in which the Light divisions were known as fast (Schnelle) troops, and in a Panzerkor...

Mind you when talking about Platoons I am actually referring to reinforced Platoons something like this Tried to count and that would come to close to 44 which one of the Finnish contributors here (can't remember which one) informed us is the strength of a protected mobility type of Jaeger platoon ...

need to break down into Platoon sized Battle Groups with, for example, one Cavalry Regiment out front with the two Mechanised Infantry Battalions behind with the second Cavalry Regiment in reserve. The Brigade will probably have to operate in a very fluid manner, keeping in touch with the Enemy, as...

Agree with the above and would just add that missiles are not the answer to drones. And that in addition to all those things that start with an "e" we will need guns, too.

the specialist nature of the turret compared to the RWS I would fit to the Recce and IFV variants. It will need a more advanced FCS and sensors to detect areal threats. Some have also recommended a 30mm or 35mm autocannon with a higher rate for fire for this role, but I was trying to keep things to...

I’d go for NEMO in the mortar sections myself, mainly because it would give you a direct fire capability the formation would otherwise lack and a means of delivering precise HE much cheaper than guided munitions. Which highlights the lack of ATGW support other than the liberal (and somewhat expensi...

andrew98 wrote:and optional Javelin anti-tank missile gives a good balance of firepower.

see the back cover https://assets.publishing.service.gov.u ... ine-v3.pdf

SDL wrote:3 from UK, 3 from the US

The 'configurable' airwing
- the rest made up by helos

Special versions aside, this is the latest for the main prgrm (from 2019 departmental overview): Warrior Capability Sustainment Programme Infantry fighting vehicle Lockheed Martin UK, subsidiary of US firm Competitive 1,319 £ mln at contract and 1,550 predicted ISD planned Nov 2018 and now predicted...

My feeling is that Stryker replacement is going to be a ways off mainly due to the budget being tied up in other priorities As you say, it is not in the Big 6 and even those, like long-range precision fires are the battle ground as for funds: is something to be got ready by 2023 or by 2027... quite...