Search found 389 matches

by WhitestElephant
03 Nov 2017, 22:30
Forum: Royal Navy
Topic: Current & Future Escorts - General Discussion
Replies: 19147
Views: 7056170
United Kingdom

Re: Current & Future Escorts - General Discussion

Caribbean wrote:So the T23GP is a low-end light frigate?
They have been neutered, so yes.
by WhitestElephant
23 Oct 2017, 22:27
Forum: Royal Navy
Topic: Current & Future Escorts - General Discussion
Replies: 19147
Views: 7056170
United Kingdom

Re: Current & Future Escorts - General Discussion

The way things are going, the hidden (yet very real) cost of T31e could be the loss of Albion and Bulwark.

£1.25 billion and the associated manpower could be put to far better use by investing it in our amphibious capabilities, getting an extra T26 and help toward properly arming the T45s and T26s.
by WhitestElephant
17 Oct 2017, 21:54
Forum: Royal Navy
Topic: Type 45 Destroyer (Daring Class) (RN) [News Only]
Replies: 1994
Views: 554920
United Kingdom

Re: Type 45 Destroyer (Daring Class) (RN) [News Only]

Any idea if a T45 had the opportunity to intercept in the recent anti-air missile exercises?
by WhitestElephant
25 Sep 2017, 22:15
Forum: Royal Navy
Topic: Current & Future Amphibious Capability - General Discussion
Replies: 5977
Views: 1500145
United Kingdom

Re: Current & Future Amphibious Capability - General Discussion

My expectations... Albion and Bulwark will go in the mini-review. They are expensive ships, and tying up a lot of manpower. This combined with a hefty cut to the Royal Marines should balance the RNs books. CASD and Carrier Strike will be "ring fenced" and the RN has the NSS as a sort of &q...
by WhitestElephant
25 Sep 2017, 12:23
Forum: Political Discussions
Topic: Brexit - The UK's EU Referendum & Withdrawal
Replies: 4600
Views: 117482
United Kingdom

Re: Brexit - The UK's EU Referendum & Withdrawal

Too often in politics (and the media) is any opposing view or team made out to be "completely wrong". This, combined with the fact that both sides of the Brexit referendum were hijacked by the most extreme views on the subject (I.e EU is love, EU is life vs EU is Satan, EU is Hitler) meant...
by WhitestElephant
24 Sep 2017, 11:28
Forum: Royal Navy
Topic: River Class (OPV) (RN)
Replies: 5411
Views: 1420110
United Kingdom

Re: River Class (OPV) (RN)

The Irish?
by WhitestElephant
23 Sep 2017, 15:56
Forum: General Discussion
Topic: Mid-term review for the Strategic review?
Replies: 703
Views: 28049
United Kingdom

Re: Mid-term review for the Strategic review?

Just been watching some of the reports from DSEI and the news isn't good. The current black hole in the UK's defence budget is now believed by analysts to be £50Bn and growing . It seems the most programmes such as the P-8 and AH-64R were budgeted at he exchange rate being $1.55 or better for the d...
by WhitestElephant
23 Sep 2017, 11:44
Forum: Royal Navy
Topic: River Class (OPV) (RN)
Replies: 5411
Views: 1420110
United Kingdom

Re: River Class (OPV) (RN)

Will the Argies moan and squirm as they did when we first sent a T45 to the islands?
by WhitestElephant
21 Sep 2017, 19:56
Forum: Royal Navy
Topic: Current & Future Escorts - General Discussion
Replies: 19147
Views: 7056170
United Kingdom

Re: Current & Future Escorts - General Discussion

Had we stuck to earlier and more modest T26 design concepts, and not threw away the T22s and 5,000 sailors in SDSR 2010 - what sort of future escort fleet would we now be looking at? (Assuming the Army and Royal Marines shared the 5,000 personnel cut between them instead). The earlier concepts are (...
by WhitestElephant
20 Sep 2017, 13:26
Forum: Royal Navy
Topic: RN anti-ship missiles
Replies: 1030
Views: 242126
United Kingdom

Re: RN anti-ship missiles

Would laser weapons not be the answer for cheap swarm attacks?
by WhitestElephant
20 Sep 2017, 13:06
Forum: Royal Navy
Topic: Current & Future Escorts - General Discussion
Replies: 19147
Views: 7056170
United Kingdom

Re: Current & Future Escorts - General Discussion

What are peoples opinion on a T31e fitted with all the adaptable options (I.e CAMM, HMS, TAS etc)
by WhitestElephant
16 Sep 2017, 23:31
Forum: Royal Navy
Topic: Type 31 Frigate (Inspiration Class) [News Only]
Replies: 8469
Views: 2142403
United Kingdom

Re: Type 31 General Purpose Frigate [News Only]

Part of constabulary duties is defence engagement with regional navies. Would a converted Ro-Ro be compatible with this?
by WhitestElephant
15 Sep 2017, 18:03
Forum: Political Discussions
Topic: Donald Trump
Replies: 828
Views: 35505
United Kingdom

Re: Donald Trump

Cannot agree with Trump more. We need to get tougher on Muslim immigration and the Muslim communities already in our country.
by WhitestElephant
13 Sep 2017, 22:05
Forum: Royal Navy
Topic: Current & Future Escorts - General Discussion
Replies: 19147
Views: 7056170
United Kingdom

Re: Current & Future Escorts - General Discussion

Remind me why we have an 82,000 strong Army? Too small to do anything meaningful at scale, and yet still far too large for what is required of it. You would save a mountain of money, by cutting a further 20-30,000 - and fund a proper Royal Navy instead.

Cherry on the top will be Corbyn as PM in 2022!
by WhitestElephant
12 Sep 2017, 23:22
Forum: Royal Navy
Topic: Current & Future Escorts - General Discussion
Replies: 19147
Views: 7056170
United Kingdom

Re: Current & Future Escorts - General Discussion

So, "year of the Royal Navy" 2017: -2 of 6 (was meant to be 12) T45s and both Albions to be mothballed (maybe/likely?) -HMS Ocean sold to Brazil -The first of 8 (was meant to be 13) T26 still ~10 years away until commission, have to solider on with ageing T23s until the mid 2030s!!! -No to...
by WhitestElephant
07 Sep 2017, 19:05
Forum: Royal Navy
Topic: Type 31 Frigate (Inspiration Class) [News Only]
Replies: 8469
Views: 2142403
United Kingdom

Re: Type 31 General Purpose Frigate [News Only]

Good to see they can accommodate a TAS, possibility the extra S2087s might end up on them?
by WhitestElephant
07 Sep 2017, 17:28
Forum: Defence Elsewhere
Topic: Russian Armed Forces
Replies: 1022
Views: 64182
United Kingdom

Re: Russian Armed Forces

Russia cannot keep its soviet era kit going forever. How long until it ends up with armed forces of a similar size to Western European countries?
by WhitestElephant
02 Sep 2017, 00:24
Forum: Personnel and Units
Topic: RAF Regiment
Replies: 9
Views: 1116
United Kingdom

Re: RAF Regiment

Will standards be lowered? Or just lower standards for women?
by WhitestElephant
30 Aug 2017, 11:54
Forum: Political Discussions
Topic: New political party
Replies: 11
Views: 589
United Kingdom

Re: New political party

The NHS spends more on fatties, smokers and alcoholics than it does on the emergency services. I think that is obscene. If people want to deliberately harm their bodies, then I shouldn't have to pay to keep them alive. Spend that money where it is really needed within the NHS. LIfestyle has a lot t...
by WhitestElephant
30 Aug 2017, 00:47
Forum: Political Discussions
Topic: New political party
Replies: 11
Views: 589
United Kingdom

Re: New political party

It's never been perfect, and the problem isn't moving matrons out of wards or even (and this is a very broad statement that should be qualified in a million ways) privatisation. It's the massive increase in the number of people living longer with complex long-term conditions meaning that while reso...
by WhitestElephant
30 Aug 2017, 00:04
Forum: Royal Navy
Topic: Current & Future Escorts - General Discussion
Replies: 19147
Views: 7056170
United Kingdom

Re: Current & Future Escorts - General Discussion

How many of those 62 destroyers and frigates in 1982 were truly "1st tier".

Of such ships in service, I count / would consider:
1 x T81 DDG
9 x T42 DDGs
4 x T22 FFs

= 14

Almost all of them were deployed to the Falklands.
by WhitestElephant
27 Aug 2017, 22:47
Forum: Royal Navy
Topic: Current & Future Escorts - General Discussion
Replies: 19147
Views: 7056170
United Kingdom

Re: Current & Future Escorts - General Discussion

The Type 31 frigate has no military requirement. It was literally pulled from the governments arse, as they didn't want to pay for 13 Type 26 frigates, but also didn't want to face bad headlines about huge cuts to the Royal Navy. The general public and the media know nothing about defence, and genui...
by WhitestElephant
25 Aug 2017, 20:57
Forum: Royal Navy
Topic: Type 31 Frigate (Inspiration Class) [News Only]
Replies: 8469
Views: 2142403
United Kingdom

Re: Type 31 General Purpose Frigate [News Only]

https://www.defensenews.com/naval/2017/08/25/uk-deadline-for-type-31-frigates-just-not-going-to-happen/ A report on the shipbuilding strategy produced for the government last year by industrialist Peter Parker recommended the warships could be block built by shipyards around the U.K. and assembled ...
by WhitestElephant
24 Aug 2017, 13:15
Forum: Royal Navy
Topic: Type 31 Frigate (Inspiration Class) [News Only]
Replies: 8469
Views: 2142403
United Kingdom

Re: Type 31 General Purpose Frigate [News Only]

At £250 million, the likelihood of getting more than 5 does increase, however as people have stated above, we are in OPV-plus territory at that price anyway. A waste of money.
by WhitestElephant
23 Aug 2017, 18:50
Forum: Royal Navy
Topic: Type 31 Frigate (Inspiration Class) [News Only]
Replies: 8469
Views: 2142403
United Kingdom

Re: Type 31 General Purpose Frigate [News Only]

Is that video available online?