I’d like to think that these lessons will have been learnt I know I'm flogging a dead horse but these lessons have been ongoing since 1918, reinforced every decade or so. At some point, any and every pragmatic observer would conclude the problems are generic and can only be fixed by having the Navy...

Can't say I've met anyone involved who has a problem with that. As Downsizer says, you’re unlikely to hear any personnel involved in JFH speak ill of it. At the end of the day they all worked hard alongside one another aiming for the same goal, they were a team. JFH was however a successive headach...

What's worse: USMC marked aircraft or an RAF pilot? Speculation is that we’ll have the crabs make the first take off while FAA get landing rights.. RAF are offering up Sqn Ldr Andy Edgell, a former JFH pilot and currently the Lead Test Pilot for ship trials (LinkedIn never lies).. a crab in charge!...

Is this two USMC aircraft in addition to the ones we are putting on? Or is it two USMC aircraft, operated by UK personnel? Remember that most of the test fleet is pooled between RAF/RN and USMC, and is flown by personnel from both countries. I’d be surpised if a UK owned trial jet wasn’t used, pure...

New article on the competition from Save the Royal Navy, here it states that the results will be announced in June.. Janes was under the impression it would be this week. But still the midpoint of the year hasn’t been reached yet so who knows https://www.savetheroyalnavy.org/australian-sea-5000-comp...

Wouldn't it be interesting if they got a T-26 in the water before we did! Luckily I think we’ll beat them on that, after all Glasgow will be ahead in construction by three years before the Aussies want to start building their frigate.. it’s just getting ours operational which will be interesting to...

2x QEs( 3 would have been ideal but too late and 2 is fine) 2x Light Carrier-Ark Royal, Hermes(Similar to Italian Carrier Cavour with some light Amphibious Capabilities, built in Rosyth probably, maybe block build) 2x Albion Class- (to be replaced by Mistral Class like ship in early 2030s, perhaps ...

Navantia are definitely the front runner, but the author has clearly written it based on Navantia's press briefings. The points about the T26's ability in warmer waters or the fact that it wasn't entered in the US Frigate competition are genuinely bizarre He seems to have confused Type 45 issues wi...

Announcement on what frigate the RAN will go for is due next week.. I know we don’t know what they’ll chose yet, but I highly doubt that the fiasco that has been HMG’s procurement of the T26s has done much to help BAE’s bid.. The author’s penning their bet on Navantia but we shall wait and see. http...

Just under three weeks to go... Same month that QE sails for her date with the jets it seems to be all coming together rather nicely now

I had forgotton that I had taken this photo last year when QE first arrived in Portsmouth on 16 August 2017. I visited the RN Museum on the same day and discovered HMS Invincible's name plate on a wall - in the museum gift shop! I cannot be 100% that it is an original or a reproduction. HMS Invinci...

cockneyjock1974 wrote:Ark Royal name plate.

You got it

Just seen the updated report on the scrapping of Illustrious, and apparently the bid for her use as a heliport on the Thames was scuppered by BoJo when Mayor of London as it didn’t fit in with his vision for the city.. a shame but hey ho too late now! But something in the picture on page 16 caught m...

https://twitter.com/qeclasscarriers/status/976572567656988672?s=21 Got the full photo set from cutting of the steel for QE back in 2009; the Internet may have its negatives but it’s nice to have this full visual record of the ships construction for all to see. Far too many photographs chronicling ot...

In relation to type 31e

Might just be my poor eyesight but there seems to me that mushrooms are present in this graphic.. Was just referring to the shape of the midship VLS, rather than the mushroom farm on front. It has no mushrooms on it, implying the midship is Mk41. :) My bad, a case of reading only half a post! ;)

Definitely Mk41's on that mid-ship. No mushrooms. Still would much prefer more than 12 CAMM though... Might just be my poor eyesight but there seems to me that mushrooms are present in this graphic.. "BAE Systems showcases Type 31e design to international audiences at DIMDEX 2018" https:/...

The average build time of the other Astutes probably means that this boat won’t be delivered until the mid 2020s, that’s well over a decade to deliver 7 boats compared to the 8 years it took for Barrow to deliver the Trafalgars. Also with this schedule it’s also definitely past the date at which the...

The FA2, still my favourite mark of all the Harrier/Sea Harrier family, gone long before it’s time :thumbdown: Is that in Pompey? It is indeed, registration ZD611 a former airframe with the SFDO. Not sure when it was installed but there’s a picture of it at Culdrose at 2015 so presumably she was ad...

The FA2, still my favourite mark of all the Harrier/Sea Harrier family, gone long before it’s time

No one show the Daily Mail.. it’ll say it’s the leak