Search found 2657 matches

by RetroSicotte
25 Nov 2020, 10:56
Forum: British Army
Topic: FV4034 Challenger 2 Main Battle Tank (British Army)
Replies: 2323
Views: 1030629
United Kingdom

Re: FV4034 Challenger 2 Main Battle Tank (British Army)

Almost like the thing everyone with a brain has been saying for years that this ridiculous idea of fighting tank divisions with nothing more than Boxers armed with 50 cals is a bad idea...
by RetroSicotte
21 Nov 2020, 14:09
Forum: British Army
Topic: Jackal and Coyote MWMIK (Army)
Replies: 193
Views: 61841
United Kingdom

Re: Jackal and Coyote MWMIK (Army)

They already have them on the ones deployed to Mali I believe.
by RetroSicotte
20 Nov 2020, 12:27
Forum: Royal Navy
Topic: Current & Future Escorts - General Discussion
Replies: 19146
Views: 7053057
United Kingdom

Re: Current & Future Escorts - General Discussion

Felt like it came from one of those news articles on it rather than the Gov announcement.
by RetroSicotte
19 Nov 2020, 12:55
Forum: Royal Navy
Topic: Type 31 Frigate (Inspiration Class) [News Only]
Replies: 8467
Views: 2140264
United Kingdom

Re: Type 31 & Type 32 General Purpose Frigate [News Only]

If I had to take a guess, build them for the navy, so they can then sell them "ready from the ranks" to nations, like what France did with FREMM.
by RetroSicotte
19 Nov 2020, 02:06
Forum: Royal Navy
Topic: Current & Future Escorts - General Discussion
Replies: 19146
Views: 7053057
United Kingdom

Re: Current & Future Escorts - General Discussion

Expect the worst is all I'll say. They already made five borderline uparmed corvette/OPVs to call "frigates" before. If they can give 12 CAMM to a River and call it a frigate to just "sound good" in political arguments, they will. I hope not, I hope I'm wrong. But too often my ho...
by RetroSicotte
19 Oct 2020, 02:29
Forum: British Army
Topic: FV4034 Challenger 2 Main Battle Tank (British Army)
Replies: 2323
Views: 1030629
United Kingdom

Re: FV4034 Challenger 2 Main Battle Tank (British Army)

When you refer to external modules, do you mean in the sense of an up-armour kit in the vein of TES or the NG arrangement for Leopard 2? TES, thats all thats changed on Chally 2, and the only visible "into service" armour development seen thus far for MBTs in the UK. To my eyes the armour...
by RetroSicotte
18 Oct 2020, 16:23
Forum: British Army
Topic: FV4034 Challenger 2 Main Battle Tank (British Army)
Replies: 2323
Views: 1030629
United Kingdom

Re: FV4034 Challenger 2 Main Battle Tank (British Army)

If I've understood this correctly, what is being suggested here is that the new armour package seen on the CR2 130mm demonstrator is a BAE/UK developed solution? I had heard suggestions that we were still undertaking armour/advanced materials research in the background for quite a while now. It wou...
by RetroSicotte
16 Oct 2020, 22:37
Forum: British Army
Topic: FV4034 Challenger 2 Main Battle Tank (British Army)
Replies: 2323
Views: 1030629
United Kingdom

Re: FV4034 Challenger 2 Main Battle Tank (British Army)

Comments from a Challenger 2 Gunnery Instructor based on things he has overheard (note: not what he is outright claiming for certain): After my recent interactions with both BAE and Rheinmetall... the MOD has already said no to the L55 being a thing for CR2 and that is confirmed. The fact that, engi...
by RetroSicotte
30 Sep 2020, 11:11
Forum: Joint Service
Topic: F-35B Lightning (RAF & RN)
Replies: 6028
Views: 1721013
United Kingdom

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

Weapons don't stay in current perfromance restrictions forever. The important thing is what they can do, not what current training allows.
by RetroSicotte
30 Sep 2020, 02:47
Forum: Joint Service
Topic: F-35B Lightning (RAF & RN)
Replies: 6028
Views: 1721013
United Kingdom

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

Worth noting an F-35B can carry, off a 450 foot launch from the QE: - Full internal fuel - 4x 1000lb bombs - 2x AMRAAM - Full Expendibles - Targeting Pod/EWAR (Fuselage) And perform a 550nm radius combat mission, drop only two bombs, and then lug the rest back and perform a vertical landing. (So thi...
by RetroSicotte
27 Sep 2020, 16:44
Forum: British Army
Topic: FV4034 Challenger 2 Main Battle Tank (British Army)
Replies: 2323
Views: 1030629
United Kingdom

Re: FV4034 Challenger 2 Main Battle Tank (British Army)

All tank turrets are modular. Even the current Challenger. It's just a matter of cost to actually replace what's in them. As a guess about NMA, I believe the kits of appliqué armour used in Iraq in 2003 for Challenger 2 were the same kits used for Challenger 1 in Iraq in 1991. Some of the appliqué a...
by RetroSicotte
26 Sep 2020, 11:41
Forum: British Army
Topic: Warrior Armoured Vehicles (British Army)
Replies: 1041
Views: 318222
United Kingdom

Re: Warrior Armoured Vehicle Variants (British Army)

RunningStrong wrote:
RetroSicotte wrote: An interim on what turret? Which one has already been fitted, tested, integrated, and is ready to manuacture en masse?
Not a turret, Kongsberg Protector RWS.
So a single missile and a 50 cal.

Not even what most people have had since the 90s...
by RetroSicotte
25 Sep 2020, 23:12
Forum: British Army
Topic: Warrior Armoured Vehicles (British Army)
Replies: 1041
Views: 318222
United Kingdom

Re: Warrior Armoured Vehicle Variants (British Army)

Yes the Boxer would initially have inferior firepower, with only a 12.7mm M2 Machine Gun but this could easily be supplemented by an ATGW such as Javelin as an interim improvement. An interim on what turret? Which one has already been fitted, tested, integrated, and is ready to manuacture en masse?...
by RetroSicotte
25 Sep 2020, 12:42
Forum: British Army
Topic: FV4034 Challenger 2 Main Battle Tank (British Army)
Replies: 2323
Views: 1030629
United Kingdom

Re: FV4034 Challenger 2 Main Battle Tank (British Army)

Just can't help thinking tho how good a 150 upgraded challenger tanks or so would do against 12,000 russian tanks rolling across the plains ,even if they were old ,and half not working , don't think Europes tank fleet going to do much just because off shear weight thrown against them no matter how ...
by RetroSicotte
23 Sep 2020, 14:38
Forum: Royal Air Force
Topic: Boeing E-7 Wedgetail (RAF)
Replies: 594
Views: 181526
United Kingdom

Re: Boeing E-7 Wedgetail (RAF)

I have always felt that the RAF Top Brass simply saw the E-7 Wedgetail as being in service and so thought it a safe, low risk option and therefore grabbed it with both hands, Not wanting the complication of a competition involving other systems that were still in development but that would probably...
by RetroSicotte
22 Sep 2020, 12:40
Forum: British Army
Topic: FV4034 Challenger 2 Main Battle Tank (British Army)
Replies: 2323
Views: 1030629
United Kingdom

Re: FV4034 Challenger 2 Main Battle Tank (British Army)

Broad strokes are all the same really. Only main difference is we haven't seen the TES kit on the prototype yet, but thats a known quantity that it fits on the hull, so little reason to test it for now I guess. (Until ATDU gets ahold of the new one.)
by RetroSicotte
22 Sep 2020, 11:51
Forum: British Army
Topic: FV4034 Challenger 2 Main Battle Tank (British Army)
Replies: 2323
Views: 1030629
United Kingdom

Re: FV4034 Challenger 2 Main Battle Tank (British Army)

That was the prospective image ahead of the physical prototypes, what became them.
by RetroSicotte
22 Sep 2020, 11:49
Forum: Royal Air Force
Topic: Boeing E-7 Wedgetail (RAF)
Replies: 594
Views: 181526
United Kingdom

Re: Boeing E-7 Wedgetail (RAF)

Just rumour, but I could see them doing it.

Stuff like that isn't "sexy" like "they might cut the carriers/tanks/marines" so they can easily feel they can do it without the public caring.
by RetroSicotte
19 Sep 2020, 23:50
Forum: British Army
Topic: FV4034 Challenger 2 Main Battle Tank (British Army)
Replies: 2323
Views: 1030629
United Kingdom

Re: FV4034 Challenger 2 Main Battle Tank (British Army)

You'd need a list longer than the character limit, lol. But in a nutshell, he reads vague "guesstimates" and then reports them as "It is". Almost all his videos' sources rely on information gleaned from often vague or nebulous sources, but repeated via his videos as "hard fa...
by RetroSicotte
19 Sep 2020, 12:21
Forum: British Army
Topic: FV4034 Challenger 2 Main Battle Tank (British Army)
Replies: 2323
Views: 1030629
United Kingdom

Re: FV4034 Challenger 2 Main Battle Tank (British Army)

That youtuber is notoriously inaccurate with their data and has been called out several times in the past. No better than Matsimus.
by RetroSicotte
17 Sep 2020, 16:10
Forum: British Army
Topic: FV4034 Challenger 2 Main Battle Tank (British Army)
Replies: 2323
Views: 1030629
United Kingdom

Re: FV4034 Challenger 2 Main Battle Tank (British Army)

1. The new tank should be upgradeable in another 15 years. This does not favour the Rheinmetall replacement of the CR2 turret, as this turret would be likely a boutique option for Britain and so a future upgrade would require new R&D. What makes you think it's not upgradable? 2. Leopard 2A7 is ...
by RetroSicotte
16 Sep 2020, 18:11
Forum: British Army
Topic: FV4034 Challenger 2 Main Battle Tank (British Army)
Replies: 2323
Views: 1030629
United Kingdom

Re: FV4034 Challenger 2 Main Battle Tank (British Army)

This is an article from 2014 perhaps showing the directions of research in tanks and armour then is it known if this line of direction was continued ? http://www.defence-and-security.com/features/featurefuture-armour-4483944/ Ceramics were used in armour construction long before 2014 really, and ar...
by RetroSicotte
15 Sep 2020, 15:19
Forum: British Army
Topic: FV4034 Challenger 2 Main Battle Tank (British Army)
Replies: 2323
Views: 1030629
United Kingdom

Re: FV4034 Challenger 2 Main Battle Tank (British Army)

Aye. Even if you do get the odd ambush, you'd have gotten ambushed with or without the APS anyway.

The vast majority of heavy conflict zones are ones you know you're going into. And once the first shot is fired, you turn it on anyway.
by RetroSicotte
14 Sep 2020, 18:12
Forum: British Army
Topic: FV4034 Challenger 2 Main Battle Tank (British Army)
Replies: 2323
Views: 1030629
United Kingdom

Re: FV4034 Challenger 2 Main Battle Tank (British Army)

It already happens. Tanks getting CITVs and daysights shot out is moderately common today, and has been for a long time. Challenger 2, Abrams, and Leclerc all had this happen to them, Russian ones too (although you don't hear about it). APS is just the next part of that. The Israelis didn't have too...
by RetroSicotte
14 Sep 2020, 13:05
Forum: British Army
Topic: FV4034 Challenger 2 Main Battle Tank (British Army)
Replies: 2323
Views: 1030629
United Kingdom

Re: FV4034 Challenger 2 Main Battle Tank (British Army)

Is there a possible view of a medium type tank that is easily moved by air quickly and can maneuver better than heavily armoured tanks and that such vehicles protected by Elbits Iron fist for example may be able to accomplish the same objectives as the tank . Would such operators have the advantage...