UK Defence Forum

Roders96 wrote:Similar was said about T31 itself not long ago. Amazing what happens when things become cost-effective!

T31 (although it didn’t yet have the name) was specifically written into SDSR 2015.

Surfaced launched Spear 3 is a fantasy weapon.

Roders96 wrote:Each one could have 100 SP3 each and still have enough space for 28 camm each.

Pity Vertical Launch SP3 doesn't exist, isn't being developed, hasn't been proposed and isn't funded.

Ron5 wrote:Anyhoo, back to the thread. Here's two slides from Babcock's half yearly financial report:

Thanks Ron, published on Nov 20, which probably explains the timing of order announcement five days previously.

Lots of people confused around purdah and the Type 31 contract signing as well. Purdah doesn't mean government ceases, it just means announcements and politically contentious decisions are put in abeyance. Signing a contract and not announcing it is in fact perfectly fine. Someone letting the cat o...

PhillyJ wrote:I read somewhere that it's because of the upcoming election and Purdah or something, could be a load of BS and they just couldn't be bothered!

Purdah applies to public bodies. It has absolutely no impact on the media, including the BBC.

https://twitter.com/rich_scott2/status/1195357219384102913 https://www.investegate.co.uk/babcock-intnl-group/bab/type-31-contract-win/201911151413386267T/?fe=1&utm_source=FE%20Investegate%20Alerts&utm_medium=Email&utm_content=Announcement%20Alert%20Mail&utm_campaign=Babcock%20Intnl%2...

Simon82 wrote:Just in case anybody missed this and might be interested. Compatibility testing of LRASM on the US Navy P-8s...
https://www.navalnews.com/naval-news/20 ... ventually/

Thank you Xavier

“LRASM integration on P-8A is not a program requirement.”

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/844073/Sir_John_Parker_s_Independent_Review_of_the_National_Shipbuilding_Strategy_2019.pdf The incredibly easy to miss independent review of the National Shipbuilding Strategy (all six pages) - with a few...

So the review of the review is out now... I've totally missed it https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/844073/Sir_John_Parker_s_Independent_Review_of_the_National_Shipbuilding_Strategy_2019.pdf Easy to miss - all six pages of it. The most im...

U.S. Wanting to Buy Fewer Chinooks Sees U.K., U.A.E. Buying More https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-10-22/u-s-wanting-to-buy-fewer-chinooks-sees-u-k-u-a-e-buying-more “I believe we will be the position here very shortly to take the next step for notification to Congress” of a proposed sal...

Rivers in the Caribbean have been given the rationale that by training the local CG personnel we are helping with the upgrading of those "forces" from boats to more capable vessels - I buy into that - but who is going to buy the vessels for them? I think the order placed by Trinidad went ...

The latest rumours I hear is there are hopes that the 3 batch 1 River OPVs will have their funding extended to 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, first to the Falklands (Fort...

Well your knowledge seems to be lacking as you only seem to think medical staff can come from the NHS which is clearly bull but don’t let that get in the way. But yes we are off topic Ok, maybe I am obsessed with the NHS. Wonder why that could be. The point is that the N in NHS stands for National,...

Jake1992 wrote:rude twat

reign it in. If you don’t like being called out for being dumb, stop being dumb. Secondly who said the staff have to come from the NHS ? We have a thriving privet health sector along with large organisation like doctors with out boarders where with the right pay and incentives staff could be drawn ...

The role I’d want the HADR vessel to do is HADR globally, medical aid to poorer nations ( like the US hospital ships ) and provided a large high end medical capability to the UK when needed. The bays can only do part of this. I would look to have a pair of these not just one and as we’ve seen with ...

I don’t think it should be hospital ship it should be a HADR ship with very large medical facilities at least a 100 bed. DFID have been hinting over the summer of 2 vessels for this role so why not add large medical set up to them. Just one question. Where are you getting the clinical staff from???...

xav wrote:I must have missed something. Are they saying otherwise ?

Save The Royal Navy are reporting 57/40 is a done deal. However as it's an unofficial source that's not attributing their information to a named person.

So seeking additional independent corroboration.

xav wrote:Apologies for the delay, we *try* to polish our edits and make them look nice...

Thanks Xav, great content as always.

I've no reason to doubt Save The Royal Navy, but it's still an unofficial source.

Are you also under the impression that the 57mm and 40mm combo is now almost certain?

Exactly, with a lot more range than Phalanx, a much simpler system and much quicker reload times (that's a blind guess - happy to be corrected). So, from my extensive research (two mins on Google) it seems around four minutes for Phalanx if you have an automatic deckloader, or around 30 minutes if ...

Why go with 40mm over 30mm+LMM? LMM is a means of getting a small proximity fused warhead out to a distance of around 5 miles. Exactly the same with 40mm. I don't see a single way in which 30mm Bushmaster is superior to 40mm Mk4 apart from probably having cheaper but much less flexible ammo. The ne...

“Eight?; Eight!?; Five; maybe Eight.”

https://www.defenceprocurementinternati ... -dsei-2019 Not sure how "reliable" this article is (I hope he is surely not mixing Leander and River B2). Independent issue is, if RN will be interested in this "apparently heavily armed" version, or not. I hope NOT, but I wanna see th...