Search found 2762 matches

by dmereifield
03 Nov 2018, 17:10
Forum: Royal Navy
Topic: Current & Future Escorts - General Discussion
Replies: 19150
Views: 7058780
United Kingdom

Re: Current & Future Escorts - General Discussion

^^^ Sadly not the £250 million version we will be getting
by dmereifield
02 Nov 2018, 06:54
Forum: Royal Navy
Topic: Type 31 Frigate (Inspiration Class) [News Only]
Replies: 8470
Views: 2143386
United Kingdom

Re: Type 31 General Purpose Frigate [News Only]

Take a look at this from Euronaval 18. This is very different to the CGI we saw before. Forward, middle and rear cells. Looks like there is still a Harpoon space, although pretty tight. No boat bays? https://twitter.com/NavyLookout/status/1057923936107814912 I believe those photos are from last nig...
by dmereifield
01 Nov 2018, 19:14
Forum: Royal Air Force
Topic: Future UK Combat Aircraft (Project Tempest)
Replies: 4067
Views: 951602
United Kingdom

Re: Future UK Combat Aircraft (Project Tempest)

Whilst I agree, the size of the programme will be too small with just Sweden and Italy on board. The requirements form these countries plus the UK could be as few as 200 or even less. This would mean the cost would still be too high and probably unaffordable if funded by the defence budgets of thes...
by dmereifield
01 Nov 2018, 05:50
Forum: Royal Air Force
Topic: Future UK Combat Aircraft (Project Tempest)
Replies: 4067
Views: 951602
United Kingdom

Re: Future UK Combat Aircraft (Project Tempest)

Whilst I agree, the size of the programme will be too small with just Sweden and Italy on board. The requirements form these countries plus the UK could be as few as 200 or even less. This would mean the cost would still be too high and probably unaffordable if funded by the defence budgets of thes...
by dmereifield
29 Oct 2018, 20:25
Forum: General Discussion
Topic: General UK Defence Discussion
Replies: 1842
Views: 184130
United Kingdom

Re: General UK Defence Discussion

We will have to await the detail but the most important thing was mentioning ASW . It's clear it's now a priority, and so it should be. Yes but we have to hope that ASW will be a key priority or the MDP and will be resourced accordingly, not just the recipient of a few tens/hundreds of millions fro...
by dmereifield
29 Oct 2018, 19:37
Forum: Royal Navy
Topic: Current & Future Escorts - General Discussion
Replies: 19150
Views: 7058780
United Kingdom

Re: Current & Future Escorts - General Discussion

Taking the announced intention to boost ASW capabilities at face value, what are the options? 1. Buy more P8 Poseidons. The current number would probably struggle to provide 24 hr protection to 2 different areas for any prolonged period (e.g. CASD & CSG). The announced money might be enough to ...
by dmereifield
29 Oct 2018, 19:35
Forum: General Discussion
Topic: Mid-term review for the Strategic review?
Replies: 703
Views: 28053
United Kingdom

Re: Mid-term review for the Strategic review?

Extra billion for defence has been quoted. Anyone got any details?? From what I gathered its a something like this An extra £160m for counter-terrorism police An extra £1bn for cyber-capabilities and the Trident successor programme £10m for mental health care for veterans, to mark the centenary of ...
by dmereifield
29 Oct 2018, 00:11
Forum: Royal Navy
Topic: Current & Future Escorts - General Discussion
Replies: 19150
Views: 7058780
United Kingdom

Re: Current & Future Escorts - General Discussion

if I understand correctly, the slow drum beat for he T26 is to 1] minimise in year expenditure, and 2] ensure that the BAE yard and workers have sufficient work all the way through to the commencement of building the T45 replacement. Therefore, if the last 2 T26 are canned, BAE would have to either...
by dmereifield
28 Oct 2018, 14:57
Forum: Royal Navy
Topic: Current & Future Escorts - General Discussion
Replies: 19150
Views: 7058780
United Kingdom

Re: Current & Future Escorts - General Discussion

Cancel the Type 26 as too costly The Type 23s were an undoubted success but the RN has taken it to the extreme with the multi-purpose and complex Type 26 and as a result the cost of the first 3 Type 26s is a mouth watering £3.7 BILLION, £1.2B each. The result the total buy of T26 was cut from 13 to...
by dmereifield
28 Oct 2018, 12:38
Forum: Royal Navy
Topic: Current & Future Escorts - General Discussion
Replies: 19150
Views: 7058780
United Kingdom

Re: Current & Future Escorts - General Discussion

Does anyone realistically think there will be a Y31 batch 2? Given the finances I can only imagine that happening if the second batch of T26 are reduced in number
by dmereifield
26 Oct 2018, 20:36
Forum: Royal Navy
Topic: Current & Future Escorts - General Discussion
Replies: 19150
Views: 7058780
United Kingdom

Re: Current & Future Escorts - General Discussion

Couple of things. First the return of the anti-ship Tomahawk. The USN is looking at this as purely an interim solution to the long range anti-ship requirement. IT is not an ideal platform for the role as it is big and slow and vulnerable to counter measures unless used in large numbers against a ta...
by dmereifield
26 Oct 2018, 18:54
Forum: General Discussion
Topic: General UK Defence Discussion
Replies: 1842
Views: 184130
United Kingdom

Re: General UK Defence Discussion

Good news if true. Although welcome It's just a financial sticking plaster, barely enough to keep the Wolf from the door until the spending review next year. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2018/10/26/gavin-williamson-wins-funding-battle-armed-forces-chancellor/ Better than most for the time b...
by dmereifield
22 Oct 2018, 19:04
Forum: Defence Elsewhere
Topic: Belgian Armed Forces
Replies: 152
Views: 6530
United Kingdom

Re: Belgian Armed Forces

Belgium going with the F35, apparently....

https://ukdefencejournal.org.uk/belgium ... -16-fleet/
by dmereifield
20 Oct 2018, 22:04
Forum: Political Discussions
Topic: Brexit - The UK's EU Referendum & Withdrawal
Replies: 4600
Views: 117576
United Kingdom

Re: Brexit - The UK's EU Referendum & Withdrawal

More credibke estimates put the figure at ca. 150k Which credible estimates are those? I haven't seen any post-event estimates below 500,000. Apologies, I've seen multiple reports that the Met police estimates were 150k, but now that I've had a quick search I can't find a primary Met source to veri...
by dmereifield
20 Oct 2018, 21:45
Forum: Royal Air Force
Topic: Boeing Chinook (RAF)
Replies: 310
Views: 133355
United Kingdom

Re: Boeing Chinook (RAF)

Ok, do SF need 16 airframes? Does that sound about right?
by dmereifield
20 Oct 2018, 21:22
Forum: Political Discussions
Topic: Brexit - The UK's EU Referendum & Withdrawal
Replies: 4600
Views: 117576
United Kingdom

Re: Brexit - The UK's EU Referendum & Withdrawal

More credibke estimates put the figure at ca. 150k
by dmereifield
20 Oct 2018, 20:42
Forum: Royal Air Force
Topic: Boeing Chinook (RAF)
Replies: 310
Views: 133355
United Kingdom

Re: Boeing Chinook (RAF)

Do special forces need 16? Seems a bit much, as in, they have other plans for them thanjust special forces use....
by dmereifield
20 Oct 2018, 08:04
Forum: Royal Air Force
Topic: Boeing Chinook (RAF)
Replies: 310
Views: 133355
United Kingdom

Re: Boeing Chinook (RAF)

If this, and the Wedgetail, go through we will have signed up to about $10 bn worth of Boeing kit (Apache upgrades, P8, Wedgetail and the Chinooks) over a period of a couple of years (all non-competitively tendred too, which is fair enough for the most part given lack of options)...despite Boeing's ...
by dmereifield
19 Oct 2018, 23:05
Forum: Royal Air Force
Topic: Boeing Chinook (RAF)
Replies: 310
Views: 133355
United Kingdom

Re: Boeing Chinook (RAF)

Possible FMS 16 MH-47G for the RAF http://dsca.mil/major-arms-sales/united-kingdom-h-47-chinook-extended-range-helicopters-and-accessories To increase the number of Chinooks in the fleet, replace older Chinooks (on a like for like basis in terms of numbers), or perhaps replace Puma? Or something el...
by dmereifield
19 Oct 2018, 20:23
Forum: Royal Navy
Topic: Type 26 Frigate (City Class) (RN) [News Only]
Replies: 5461
Views: 1465343
United Kingdom

Re: Type 26 Frigate (City Class) (RN) [News Only]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hfMqfoMQTs0 Remember when HMG said that the T31e was to be the ship we hoped to export to the world?! :lol: Time to bin the whole T31 idea and just build 13 T26's. Eight fitted for and five without ASW gear if necessary. You could save a lot of money from just binnin...
by dmereifield
19 Oct 2018, 20:12
Forum: Royal Navy
Topic: Current & Future Escorts - General Discussion
Replies: 19150
Views: 7058780
United Kingdom

Re: Current & Future Escorts - General Discussion

Proposal (personal opinion) If T31e program is going, I love Leander as a candidate. As Leander is ~10% smaller than FTI, I think it shall be "one point less than" FTI. For example, it can be a "single task" light frigate. - GP version: as T31e RFI + hull-sonar and torpedo-defen...
by dmereifield
18 Oct 2018, 23:03
Forum: Royal Navy
Topic: Type 31 Frigate (Inspiration Class) [News Only]
Replies: 8470
Views: 2143386
United Kingdom

Re: Type 31 General Purpose Frigate [News Only]

This is the corvette-end fleet replacement round: "Since 1982, 82 MEKO corvettes and frigates have been delivered to Navies in 14 different nations, 37 built outside Germany, and all these vessels are still in full operation – offering a lifecycle of more than 40 years. This class flaunts the ...
by dmereifield
18 Oct 2018, 23:01
Forum: Royal Navy
Topic: Current & Future Escorts - General Discussion
Replies: 19150
Views: 7058780
United Kingdom

Re: Current & Future Escorts - General Discussion

Before going into "bright" future discussion, the sea-going days of Type-23 is concerning. https://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-question/Commons/2018-10-10/177797/ Sea going days are, 103.7 days per year (or 28.5% of 365 days, or 8.6...
by dmereifield
16 Oct 2018, 19:08
Forum: Royal Navy
Topic: Type 31 Frigate (Inspiration Class) [News Only]
Replies: 8470
Views: 2143386
United Kingdom

Re: Type 31 General Purpose Frigate [News Only]

https://www.defenceonline.co.uk/2018/10/01/gb-bristol-type-31e-t31e-frigate-2/ The indicative procurement timeline, which the Authority reserves the right to amend at its sole discretion is as follows: 1. PQQ Issue Date: 28 September 2018 2. PQQ Submission Deadline:19 October 2018 3. CDP ITN Issue ...
by dmereifield
14 Oct 2018, 09:14
Forum: Royal Navy
Topic: Current & Future Escorts - General Discussion
Replies: 19150
Views: 7058780
United Kingdom

Re: Current & Future Escorts - General Discussion

UK millions £200 Base 117m Leander £205 Extend to 120m (5) £256 plus 25% uplift to ASW (51) £259 plus Type 2150 HMS (3) £289 plus Type 2087 Towed array (30) £297 plus manual 5” Gun (38) £309 plus 48 compact CAMM cells (12) £321 plus 8 cell strike length Mk 41 (12) £331 plus extra CMS licensing cost...