UK Defence Forum

Pretty certain they've been in that room for the past 20 years. Yeah, but only recently it has become evident that you can't get the top job(s) without having showed enough of "jointness" on your way up - whether it is by holding a post, or showing some "cutting edge" in thinkin...

We are only going to need one escort group for the Carriers and we are not going to see both operational at the same time regardless of what has been put out by the MoD. A great wartime leader (of ours) said that the most dangerous thing is if we believe our own propaganda. Now, let's not turn that...

Lord Jim wrote: borrow somebody else's boom equipped tankers for out RC-135s, E-7s and E-8s. Problem solved and very cheaply.

I think you are right; when those assets are needed, there will be other allies on the scene, too

The Amraam D's will provide a 'long' range capability for F-35 as I doubt we'll see Meteor on F-35 until 2026. I agree about (c.) 2026 as the new version of Meteor will only start testing in 2023 (our part of the deal with the Japanese). - until then the 'old' Meteors on Typhoons will extend the re...

A year old piece on Typhoon production (plus Captor-E trials) http://aviationweek.com/paris-air-show-2017/typhoon-production-nudges-2023 But with the glacial pace, both with Captor-E and Meteor integration (more Amraams being bought) an interesting thought came to me. With Super-Meteor (JNAAM) trial...

Dahedd wrote:Excuse my ignorance but why is it PCU Michael Monsoor?

Unlikely: https://www.military.com/daily-news/201 ... nsoor.html

Running costs over the life of the smaller platform Yep, over the life costs come about 50% from manning (incl. training). So if you can push man hours spent in building the 9th, 10th or 11th hull to half of what was spent on the 1st of class - as shown here https://cdainstitute.ca/wp-content/uploa...

If it were an option I would stop the T-26 programme at six. Only three of them have gone through the main gate. To follow the 'train of thought' -12 AAW down to 6 - 8 ASW down(?) to 6 - 5 GP??? up, to 7 Truly general purpose by being configurable (at least at build): Patrol, (littoral) ASW, global...

An interesting article on bring back the PT boats aka corvettes https://m.usni.org/magazines/proceedings/2018-11/build-corvette-hornet’s-sting The author's sketch here https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=Hamina+Boats+YouTube&&view=detail&mid=281B374371373728C7BB281B374371373728C7BB&...

the real, tangible benefit that having an ally who can seamlessly operate on another platform Agreed. One can pick up quotes about the issues with overcrowding the deck on the early Americas. Adding the dock to the later ones does not make the deck larger, and only marginally decreases the demands ...

R686 wrote:are you guys using FMS?

Level 1 Partner does not pay those fees; don't know about the other levels.
- then again, Block 4 charges are like the taxman writing to you that they designed the PAYE system 'wrong' and now you are liable for another 10%

How is that not a contradiction? As the USMC is part of the Dept of Navy, and as that Dept thought they had no peers to contend with, they went with the modern-day 'monitor' ie. the Zumwalts - stealth, huge range for continued shore bombardment We, as the poor cousins, will have to make do with gun...

The UK is not in the same situation as France and Germany where it is lacking for modern aircraft into the 2040's and onwards, what with F-35. The UK has the time to sit and develop this one. Agreed. A rare luxury. And needed, too. The RAF is in good shape (save for integration prgrms that proceed ...

A good find. It has gone quiet for a while (agreeing the joint requirements was known to be on the go) - Spain joining is a new development - also "Airbus and Dassault are the main contractors for the FCAS program. They are slated to receive initial study contracts early next year." these ...

Also while we are at it Sea Venom and Martlet should be fitted to Merlin. Agree about Sea Venom (and who knows, it will be 2020 before even the helicopters carried for ASuW will get them). Martlet is not really a stand-off weapon, and I would question the use of a scarce resource, costing about £50...

SW1 wrote:The British are expected to purchase five Wedgetail aircraft

A nasty tribe, those "British"... aren't they? Let's go and kill them off [ some of the comments here are that way inclined ]?

the UK is set to double its number [of world-beating F-35 stealth jets] after ordering 17 more ... whose words? Or is it indicative of us having 34, after deducting the test a/c and [for now, and also a tad longer] allowing for the OCU? That is not bad, anyway - 24 on a carrier - and an RAF mini-sqd...

All this arguing aside, I am just glad that for once the MoD actually made a firm decision and is moving ahead with a programme. + A very good reason to get something else. I.e the biz case was fully costed, and turned out not to be VFM. To back up that rather brief comment (above), it was noted up...

topman wrote:

RetroSicotte wrote:You have to account for possible peer warfare when its all hands on deck, always.

That's fine, how do we pay for all this?

Macron and Merkel epiphany, over the last week or so, might spread to this side of the Channel
- don't think so, though

The MDP timeline was repeatedly stated in sessions of the Defence Select Committee over recent months. Thx, yes, there will no outcomes (exc. for the money now received), and they will rename it. And it will be back to being a thread, within a x-Whitehall exercise, ie. following the "Fusion Do...

shark bait wrote: Its an annual budget, so you cant spent 2031's money in 2021.

Following that logic, where is the money for ships 4, 5 and 6?

"Planning for peacetime" is how you lose wars. + planning for only small ops like Libya is just asking for trouble. Agree with both of the above The airframes are shagged and the radars are lacking crucial functionality to NATO centric ops, not to mention the maintenance situation with th...

the MDP [will rectify this and] when published at the end of December as currently planned Where did you pick up this information? The NAO, when publishing its bit on the 2018 EPP - mainly on its affordability - was already worrying that the 2019 edition will effectively need to be put together wit...

RN missions been clear for a while carrier group and the casd. That's two, add another half (an overlay) of LittOps around eight cheaper vessels - generic frigates of about 4 or 5 thousand tons would meet the policy requirement for operations in support of small-scale stabilisation operations, sea ...

Lord Jim wrote: be a one or two trick pony in future with the CVBG and the ARG and that is about it give or take a single one vessel deployment.

- those two things, of course, being more than 'joined in the hip'... 50% overlap in assets, to make it happen