UK Defence Forum

The only hope is for either of the two contender for the Conservative leadership job to actually remain in power longer enough to actually realise their promises to increase the Defence Budget to 2.5% GDP, and for that figure to remain until the start of the 2040s at least. But I wouldn't bet my ho...

Is this where’s modern British version of the Absalon class could come in handy and come in to there own ? Maybe, but how would an Absalon deploy a 15m/30t UUV? The wide 20m beam would be an advantage for stability but some pretty large alterations would be necessary to enable it. On paper with the...

Either that or Poiuytrewq uses a new definition of 'capable'. It depends how you define capability in the 2030's/2040's. An Avenger or PPA style vessel, with a large amidships working deck serviced by a heavy duty deck crane may well be what is needed to deploy the ASW UUV's or XLUUV's of the futur...

Poiuytrewq , The Avenger had a CAMM VLS amidships (12 cells I believe), Artisan and 2 x 30mms - change the 114mm gun with something smaller and you are pretty much at what you describe for the T31 above. Would like more of a mission bay at he rear and this is my vision of a B3 River Sloop https://w...

Adding a hull sonar will still keep it a sitting duck. Modern SSK threat is not that low. In the Gulf, I guess modern torpedo defense system will be more important, such as Sea Sentor RN has. Agreed but that's not a good reason to start building Frigates without an ASW capability. I am not suggesti...

Interesting that the suggestion is to possibly increase T31's or the 'excellent OPV's'. There could be a number of good options here lets say we end up with a 120 meter Leander as the T-31 this could open the door to three options 1 ) more T-31's 2 ) after the 5 120 meter Leander's are built we cou...

Meanwhile progress on HMS Glasgow continues, slowly.

Although this a commitment from a politician who is extremely unlikely to be our next PM, it serves to highlight the issues within RN and is a welcome intervention nonetheless. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2019/07/11/time-put-money-mouth-defence-funding-starting-royal-navy/ For those that ca...

Hardly unexpected but a worrying escalation nonetheless.

https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-midea ... KKCN1U52SC

I don't know why everyone is getting excited by this. The mushrooms are frangible as can be clearly seen is these tests. https://youtu.be/NjA7L7e7uN4 One of the advantages of the Sea Ceptor system with the mushrooms is its ability to operate in the most extreme environments such as the South Atlanti...

nteresting priorities. A few more T26's would help in the North Atlantic but they would have little effect for a decade at least. Additional P8's or giving the T31's a true ASW capability might be a better way to go if the improvement is to have an effect in the near furure. Surely the easiest and ...

https://twitter.com/NavyLookout/status/1141606609099153408?s=20 Interesting priorities. A few more T26's would help in the North Atlantic but they would have little effect for a decade at least. Additional P8's or giving the T31's a true ASW capability might be a better way to go if the improvement ...

....but could it be a good move for the RN to move to a mix of 76 mm and 40 mm for both the T-45 and the T-31 and do away with the 114 mm the 30 mm and Phalanx on these ships to have a armament like so It would make long term financial sense but short-termism is getting in the way as usual. The T26...

Repulse wrote:Does seem a waste as the best RM platform would be an Albion but we have one tied up. Maybe getting both LPDs back in service and replacing Argus should be ahead of any FLSSs.

It would be an attractive option, especially if DFID funded a couple of converted points anyway.

Not if we go for Leander they won't ! I’m no defender of the T31e, but if the RN thought it was a must-have they would have put it on the RFI? The RFI was not designed by military needs. It was designed by the measure of "what is the minimum possible thing we can still call a frigate in PMQs&q...

could a shortened variant make commercial sense to BAE & HMG? If only it was that simple :D One of the major problems would be the 21m beam dimension. Shortened to 125m or 130m it would be a LOT slower with the existing propulsion and if you change that effectively you have a new design anyway....

Making use of what we have means using the carriers. This is acceptable in the short term because the UK don't have many F35, however one day there wont be the space for 10+ commando Merlin, and another deck will be required. It means using both CVFs AND an Argus replacement in supporting amphibiou...

I see the Karel doorman’s more of a modern fort class, I bring them as Iv seen people on here talk about upgrading the waves to allow them to do more for the fleet while keeping RAS ability Karel doorman fits this nicely. If done right a set up of 1 Albion, 1 LSS and 1 Karel doorman each west and e...

Interesting update on the Canadian Surface Combatant programme.

https://www.janes.com/article/88853/ful ... ead-cs19d1

Great news

https://www.navalnews.com/naval-news/20 ... s-upgrade/

You're confusing "concept art" with detailed design Who produced the 'concept art'? Are you suggesting a floodable well dock isn't possible? I don't really understand your point. The FSS should bollw the Tides by becoming lean ships fully focused on the huge task of sustaining the carrier...

That doesn't sound feasible. Is there any example of a platform being modified to support a welldeck? My impression is welldecks are major structural features, and as such requires a clean design. The initial FSS concepts incorporated a floodable well dock. http://ukarmedforcescommentary.blogspot.c...

but I guess you said so, too, in your concluding sentence? I maintain that a £250m T31 is a dangerous compromise but a £375m T31 is credible and would be a lot more use to RN in a conflict scenario. However, for basic maritime security tasks even a £250m T31 is OTT, especially if it's forward based...

Is there any particular operational benefit having the bridge forward or aft? A bridge foward design would be preferable if the FSS is to form the basis of a common hull for other RFA vessels going forward. IF the money was in place, theoretically, a universal bridge forward design could be suitabl...