Search found 271 matches

by indeid
15 Dec 2020, 11:39
Forum: Royal Air Force
Topic: Air Battlespace & Remote Radar Heads
Replies: 7
Views: 3236

Re: Air Battlespace & Remote Radar Heads

The three T101 give good coverage, the G-AMBs are being added due to the change from FSC to Sky Sabre and not for broader Air Surveillance. The 303SU CRC is being upgraded with Project Guardian so hopefully that will allow the G-AMBs to brought into the picture to add some resilience. The T101s are ...
by indeid
22 Apr 2019, 07:37
Forum: General Discussion
Topic: Integrated Review (previously SDSR 2020)
Replies: 1307
Views: 59952

Re: SDSR 2020

The long term thinking of the Bollinger boys when putting the nuclear deterrent in the mod budget. The costs of submarine procurement would allow removal of the class of weapons because of its detrimental effect on conventual equipment without political cost. I personal think we should keep it as i...
by indeid
24 Mar 2019, 08:23
Forum: Royal Air Force
Topic: Boeing E-7 Wedgetail (RAF)
Replies: 595
Views: 182102

Re: Boeing E-7 Wedgetail (RAF)

E-3D numbers were decided in what, 1986? Has the equation really not changed? A driver for the original number was the UK contribution to the NATO AEW Force (with a UK sovereign frame added on top...), a force which has seen new members join and aircraft numbers drop. With the reduction in the train...
by indeid
23 Mar 2019, 06:25
Forum: Royal Air Force
Topic: Boeing E-7 Wedgetail (RAF)
Replies: 595
Views: 182102

Re: Boeing E-7 Wedgetail (RAF)

I fully agree with that, but: - the question I asked stands (btw: I don't know the answer, so this is not a trick question) I can't see how picking E7 over an E3 upgrade is a bad idea, but with our ability to save pennies now and cost pounds in the future, who knows! Also depends how much UK specif...
by indeid
22 Mar 2019, 20:33
Forum: Royal Air Force
Topic: Boeing E-7 Wedgetail (RAF)
Replies: 595
Views: 182102

Re: Boeing E-7 Wedgetail (RAF)

Yep, but as for E-3s Project Eagle never got off the ground - is there any such capability coming now, with E-7s? Eagle would likely have ended up with the Ds being at Block 40/45 standard, in line with the Gs. Considering the troubles that upgrade has had, not doing it and buying new now might be ...
by indeid
22 Mar 2019, 13:27
Forum: Royal Air Force
Topic: Airbus A330 Voyager (MRTT) (RAF)
Replies: 416
Views: 194581

Re: Airbus A330 Voyager (MRTT) (RAF)

With the announcement today of the purchase of 5 E7 Wedgetail is it not about time to look again at booms on the Voyagers? That's now C17, P8 & E7s that require a boom to refuel. Discuss! There is no fucking money, discuss. The way we normally change a contract when we have no cash is to extend...
by indeid
22 Mar 2019, 13:25
Forum: Royal Air Force
Topic: Boeing E-7 Wedgetail (RAF)
Replies: 595
Views: 182102

Re: Boeing E-7 Wedgetail (RAF)

One way or another. This is a cut, and it should always be referred to as such. I get your point, but gayways availability was so shit that this might see an improvement in some respects. You could increase current availability if you bought two. I wouldn’t be surprised if a strength of 6 is on pap...
by indeid
30 Jan 2019, 08:17
Forum: Royal Air Force
Topic: Panavia Tornado (RAF)
Replies: 201
Views: 111996

Re: Panavia Tornado (RAF)

SW1 wrote:That is as weird a FOI question as you’ll get either the person has no idea what a tornado is or is just an idiot or both
Or see it as a challenge in those few weeks left in service.
by indeid
29 Jan 2019, 06:55
Forum: Royal Air Force
Topic: Panavia Tornado (RAF)
Replies: 201
Views: 111996

Re: Panavia Tornado (RAF)

SW1 wrote:
Still the best in the business low and fast.
Can’t do everything though....

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.u ... /13525.pdf
by indeid
03 Dec 2018, 20:08
Forum: Joint Service
Topic: F-35B Lightning (RAF & RN)
Replies: 6067
Views: 1723961

Re: F-35B Lightning (RAF & RN)

There's been chatter about the appointments of the next heads of the RAF & RN. Surprising choices as more senior names were overlooked and explained by saying Williamson wants younger guys with transformational mindsets. Just a passing thought but what if "transformational mindsets" i...
by indeid
25 Oct 2018, 12:16
Forum: Royal Air Force
Topic: Boeing E-3D Sentry AEW.1 (AWACS) (RAF)
Replies: 409
Views: 181110

Re: Boeing E-3D Sentry AEW.1 (AWACS) (RAF)

Why so scared of a novel solution? If they RAF can operate a reaper in Iraq from Waddington, they can monitor a radar and operate a radio from Waddington. Whats novel about it and why do you think people are scared of it? I have sat in one country and controlled over another, and the issues with th...
by indeid
25 Oct 2018, 12:04
Forum: Royal Air Force
Topic: Boeing E-3D Sentry AEW.1 (AWACS) (RAF)
Replies: 409
Views: 181110

Re: Boeing E-3D Sentry AEW.1 (AWACS) (RAF)

SAAB could come in with an offer with the GlobalExpress that totally spanks Boeing on price. I can't understand why they're buggering around with the A330 idea. Half the Global Express is built in the UK, and the systems could be integrated in the UK. The whole product is in production, unlike the ...
by indeid
20 Oct 2018, 17:04
Forum: Royal Air Force
Topic: Boeing Chinook (RAF)
Replies: 310
Views: 133152

Re: Boeing Chinook (RAF)

AndyC wrote:The price amounts to U$219 million each!

About half the amount would actually seem a bit more reasonable.
Drop them an email, I'm sure they will listen and recheck the sums if you think they are wrong.

The request doesn't just include the airframes, and the airframes are usually the cheap bit.
by indeid
20 Oct 2018, 13:39
Forum: Royal Air Force
Topic: Boeing E-3D Sentry AEW.1 (AWACS) (RAF)
Replies: 409
Views: 181110

Re: Boeing E-3D Sentry AEW.1 (AWACS) (RAF)

There have been studies galore into Air C2 in the last few years, UK ASCACS, DASACS and even Sky Sabre have looked at what you need in terms of comms, links and operators, and also the possibility of distributed functions. Add that with the experience of recent AWACS operations and the 5/6/7 operato...
by indeid
14 Sep 2018, 13:19
Forum: Royal Air Force
Topic: Boeing E-3D Sentry AEW.1 (AWACS) (RAF)
Replies: 409
Views: 181110

Re: Boeing E-3D Sentry AEW.1 (AWACS) (RAF)

We don't know how effective those points will be, but it's concerning the RAF are too blinkered to run a competition to find out. And thats my point, you are in Operational Analysis territory, not a competition, which would score against a set of requirements. Splitting an ops crew across two aircr...
by indeid
13 Sep 2018, 15:46
Forum: Royal Air Force
Topic: Boeing E-3D Sentry AEW.1 (AWACS) (RAF)
Replies: 409
Views: 181110

Re: Boeing E-3D Sentry AEW.1 (AWACS) (RAF)

IS one of the reasons we have not looked at fitting a boom to any of the Voyagers being that holiday makers might not want to see one at the back of the shiny plane taking them to Minorca? On the manning levels, if the Command and COntrl aspect of AWACS platform sis deminishing cuold we take the cr...
by indeid
13 Sep 2018, 15:16
Forum: Royal Air Force
Topic: Boeing E-3D Sentry AEW.1 (AWACS) (RAF)
Replies: 409
Views: 181110

Re: Boeing E-3D Sentry AEW.1 (AWACS) (RAF)

Indeid We probably have that. But what needs to be remembered is when we developed sentinel it hadn’t been done before it was all new this would not be the case here. Sentinel has lead the way for a number of different variants for a number of different countries and the tech revolution brought abo...
by indeid
12 Sep 2018, 14:43
Forum: Royal Air Force
Topic: Boeing E-3D Sentry AEW.1 (AWACS) (RAF)
Replies: 409
Views: 181110

Re: Boeing E-3D Sentry AEW.1 (AWACS) (RAF)

Ahh the crewing numbers issues again!! For years we’ve been told that the benefit of typhoon and f35 is that there sensors are so gd that there pilots are now really battle managers taking on roles traditionally done by awacs. Infact f35 has been positively cheerleading that one of its great advanc...
by indeid
12 Sep 2018, 13:25
Forum: Royal Air Force
Topic: Boeing E-3D Sentry AEW.1 (AWACS) (RAF)
Replies: 409
Views: 181110

Re: Boeing E-3D Sentry AEW.1 (AWACS) (RAF)

That for me is what makes the E-7 the only choice, and I say that as a big SAAB fan, but at the moment their offering cannot control a Battle Management Area, which is a big drop off in capability. Is that possible to achieve on the BizJet platform?[/quote] I just don't see how. When SAAB first sta...
by indeid
12 Sep 2018, 12:03
Forum: Royal Air Force
Topic: Boeing E-3D Sentry AEW.1 (AWACS) (RAF)
Replies: 409
Views: 181110

Re: Boeing E-3D Sentry AEW.1 (AWACS) (RAF)

An airbus AEW makes little sense, the cost would be huge, and the only benefit would be derisking the project for the French and Germans in a decades time. An A330 is total overkill for the role, the RAF would be lucky to get 3. I imagine the RAF would like an Airbus AWACS solution to be available,...
by indeid
18 Aug 2018, 21:20
Forum: Joint Service
Topic: F-35B Lightning (RAF & RN)
Replies: 6067
Views: 1723961

Re: F-35B Lightning II (RN & RAF)

Ron5 wrote: I came up with about half a dozen PEP acronym's, none of which seemed to apply here. Google gave me another 500 or so. Yikes.

So is an RAF PEP the same as a Royal Navy PEP? and how much do they run? can we chip in and buy a few for the QE?
Logistics wins wars.......

Priming Equipment Pack.
by indeid
18 Aug 2018, 16:15
Forum: Joint Service
Topic: F-35B Lightning (RAF & RN)
Replies: 6067
Views: 1723961

Re: F-35B Lightning II (RN & RAF)

Squadrons are the only metric worth considering. Ultimately, how many you have to deploy and how long you can sustain them on an enduring operation depends on how many squadrons you have of a given type. If that is the definition you want to use then the key factor is the amount of PEPs you buy, no...
by indeid
17 Aug 2018, 15:18
Forum: Joint Service
Topic: F-35B Lightning (RAF & RN)
Replies: 6067
Views: 1723961

Re: F-35B Lightning II (RN & RAF)

downsizer wrote: Have you been to RAF Marham recently?
And seen how many RN are there?
Poor sods
by indeid
17 Aug 2018, 15:17
Forum: Joint Service
Topic: F-35B Lightning (RAF & RN)
Replies: 6067
Views: 1723961

Re: F-35B Lightning II (RN & RAF)

Interesting. Carrier Strike Group Commander, Commodore Andrew Betton says that all the F-35B's are 'owned' by the RAF, but will be flown jointly by the FAA and RAF. This means that the RN don't 'own' any of their F-35B's. And now makes sense why they're all based at RAF Marham, and not shared with ...
by indeid
12 Aug 2018, 07:56
Forum: British Army
Topic: Ground Based Air Defence
Replies: 685
Views: 190858

Re: Ground Based Air Defence

When you say "Fire Units", I assume you are referring to batteries rather than individual launch vehicles. For Patriot the terms Fire Unit and Battery seem to be interchangeable. The Fire Unit could have one launcher or eight, but is capable of independent action, whereas the launcher on ...