UK Defence Forum

I believe the current favorite is a 600 gallon tank. How much would two of those weigh? A 600 gallon tank would weigh c3,500lbs each....but that was the size that IAI was talking about developing for the F-35A. The LM tank was to be 460 gallons, which all up, including the tank itself will weigh c3...

If we were to intro AShMs, say in the guise of JSMs, woud that still be the case? JSM's would only be external, but even then they're not a very heavy store. They're only 900lb's per missile and they're not going to have a dual mount for them. LRASM is a different beast though... Basically, as soon...

When are they planning a max weight take offs? It's a good question, but it might not be one for the UK at present. If we load an F-35B with the maximum number of UK cleared stores (2 x Internal PWIV, 2 x Internal Amraam, 4 x external PWIV and 2 x Asraam and max fuel we're still nowhere near the F-...

Yikes, somebody must have left a pair of old socks in the funnel. It's only for a few seconds, there was some video of it somewhere. I made the mistake of standing next to a large group of backup diesel generators, each one the size of a 20 foot TEU, once when the power failed and they kicked in......

Not seen any smoke from either of the new carriers. I assume they have the latest exhaust cleaners installed to keep down dirty emissions There's a fair bit on start-up, as with any large diesel generator, but it seems to burn fairly clean after that. But I've never seen anything about a scrubbing ...

Opens up a very interesting conversation into future strike systems and how they can used and deployed. It does, but I'm not sure the method chosen for Kratos is a great idea. You have to wonder about the potential for damage upon landing using the airbag system, but also recovery of the system and...

I am getting mixed signals from what I have read and watched regarding this SPEAR-EW. Some think it is a hard kill SEAD weapon like HARM but some articles show it as an air launched EW Jamming system to fly into enemy GBAD sectors and degrade them without the compromising the low vis of the attacki...

I suspect its to handle the telemetry data that the 17 squadron aircraft collect. There will probably be a lot more data in this set of trials. If with 17 sqn aircraft with possibly the U.S.M.C. aircraft including additional instrumented airframes. We will have to wait for there numbers. It would b...

Another view of the future pops into view...

South Korea's KFX.

Very surprised by the external Sniper targeting pod....

Looks like a new speed record from PoW. 28.2 knots. Like QE I think this is the fastest, or near fastest, that we'll see on AIS, any faster and they'll turn it off. https://twitter.com/TheBrit96/status/1183263702243565570 In other news RFA Tideforce is still alongside in Mayport. No idea where North...

HMS Queen Elizabeth has left Mayport, currently off Jacksonville in company with HMS Dragon.

If there are a couple of days with no twitter posts from them expect the Lightnings to be aboard...

How different is it from the Spanish LHD just out of interest as this has been designed with F-35 in in mind but still operates Harriers I'm afraid the Juan Carlos was designed well before any real details of the F-35 were known (it was designed in 1999-2002), the X-35 had only just flown when the ...

Tempest414 wrote:Really are saying a carrier qualified pilot who lands on a 230 by 32 meter LHD can't land a Harrier on 270 by 70 meter Carrier I am shocked

If it was that easy to clear a plane to land on a ship we'd have a load of F-35B on QE right now...

I to would like Italians or Spanish Harriers doing some cross decking Can't ever see that happening to be honest (even with USMC Harriers). Its one thing landing a helicopter on, but landing a STOVL aircraft is a different thing entirely. I doubt they'll ever take the risk even if the opportunity p...

So...so far on the QE Class ships we've had the following aircraft land on: Joint Test Force F-35B UK Forces Merlin HM.2 Merlin HC.4 Apache AH.1 Chinook HC.4 Wildcat HMA.1 US Forces MV-22 Osprey MC-53E Sea Dragon MH-60 Sea Hawk Civilian Sikorsky S-92 That's not bad going to date. And we've still got...

Ok...so thats landing backwards in F-35B and Merlin knocked off the list...sideways anyone?

Is that a Babcock Offshore helicopter?

I wonder if it was for personnel or cargo?

The RN has been anxious to further MV-22 integration on the QEC ships to establish the Osprey as a credible maritime intra-theatre lift solution." Definitely a 'view' from Janes. But I guess we must see the MV-22 trials not in the light of a future buy by the RN (because its just not going to ...

Made a massive boob folks it wasn’t Poseidon it was the Wedgetail. I wonder if they're looking at all of the extreme long range air to air missiles that are designed to attack AEW and tankers and thinking about the long term viability of a large platform, particularly one that has to emit. It's pro...

Oh good spot with the photo and concept artwork comparison! The submarine is also clearly there. Its submerged. obviously. There was another one called the Future of the Royal Navy from an age ago that was from the starboard quarter, very similar but a little closer. Think I remember seeing it on R...

And for those of us who have been watching this since the start...here was the original dream of a CSG...close enough for government work!

The RN is taking the piss today...

And not to be upstaged...Prince of Wales has its first visitor...they're not mucking about..11.15 off the east coast of Scotland.

https://www.royalnavy.mod.uk/news-and-l ... raft-lands

QE is heading to the Caribbean for warm water trials apparently...a Merlin has landed at Mayport... https://twitter.com/CdrBobBond/status/1176132846253199360 Plus, looks like we can expect another shot of the QE with a US CVN in due course....USS Eisenhower this time. https://twitter.com/TML_2_4/sta...

Got to say the RN Photographers are absolutely knocking it out of the park at the moment...fantastic picture. As much as we'd all like to see it, I'm afraid given the state of the MoD's equipment plan, and the amount of time that the V-22 has left in production, I suspect we'll never see a UK one. B...