It’s a world away from what people get excited about for a cheap T31 pointless class. I think it's more a case that many of us realised the potential and believed that there was more to be got from the platform. If the current plans come to fruition, then the T31 will be an extremely potent surface...

tomuk wrote: ↑15 Apr 2024, 04:54 Which escorts are currently being side tracked to cover OPV/HADR?

Isn’t that exactly what people are so excited about? T31s replacing B2 Rivers?

An escort doesn't have to be a subhunter. T23 GP isn't. An GP escort like T31 can have kit fitted to make a contribution to the ASW hunt (as opposed to self protection) as others earlier have said but it's not a specialist. An escort does not have to be a sub hunted correct, but if the danger is su...

It did have an asw focus but then the Soviet navy was significantly orders of magnitude bigger and more competent than russias today. It was also being done by ships much more like a type 31/FDI type configuration than a type 26 or even a type 23. The majority of the Cold War ASW frigates were the ...

Gawd...still banging on about T31 as a 'light frigate' (with 12-24 CAMM). Yup, would be folly in the Middle East now. But I think the Admiralty got the memo a year or two back. Hence the move to Mk41s. If they display more common sense and find some trivial quididge they give all five 32 cells a la...

Poiuytrewq wrote: ↑14 Apr 2024, 19:23 How do you realistically commission more T26 within a decade?

By accelerating the build of the frigate factory at Govan and get other yards building blocks - more than possible if there is a will.

Oh my god he's had a revelation. T31 could be upgraded to provide AAW capability. Who knew? That was the whole point of going for T31, a real frigate, rather than a warmed over River OPV in Cutlass or Avenger. It provides a basic level of capability on delivery but provides a flexible capable platf...

That’s just your bias coming out, off it must be this because I like it. If your principally fighting Russia the answer at sea it will largely be our submarines and maritime patrol aircraft in the Atlantic. The Russian submarines beyond there ssbns are largely some modern ssks not ssns. Most of it ...

new guy wrote: ↑14 Apr 2024, 17:19

Jackstar wrote: ↑05 Nov 2023, 22:26 Appledore Shipyard looks to hire 100 new workers.
https://www.devonlive.com/news/devon-ne ... 00-8883493

Anybody know what the 3 RFA's are?

Aren’t they building parts of the FSSs?

No one else is doing ship based asw the way we are, they’re not all wrong nor is how we are doing it the only way or better, thats your bias. Australia has already scaled back Canada will like do so too when production contracts come to pass. ASW counter is increasing going back underwater The RN s...

It’s a question of priorities: 1- More P8, ideally increase to 16 2- Maximise T31 and build 8 3- More SSN, aim for 12, start asap 4- More T26 only if HMG commits to 3% GDP 5- T32 but not before mid/late 2030s In that order IMO In a perfect world the optimum escort mix is: • 12x AAW Destroyers (T45/...

That’s just your bias coming out, off it must be this because I like it. If your principally fighting Russia the answer at sea it will largely be our submarines and maritime patrol aircraft in the Atlantic. The Russian submarines beyond there ssbns are largely some modern ssks not ssns. Most of it ...

We do have air defence assets and a fully integrated network. There is anti drone stuf, starstreak, camm, and aster. The real question is how much of it are you prepared to say is to be kept to be deployed around the uk or sent overseas or do we need more of it. We have 6 type 45s are we to say 3 w...

On the flip side there are people on this forum who think TAS equipped GP frigates or AAW Destroyers add nothing to the ASW picture which is also wrong. I don't think anyone here thinks a GP frigate with a TAS can be as good as a ASW frigate at one on one ops or even 2 on 1 ops but they can add to ...

Markam wrote: ↑14 Apr 2024, 13:07 【2024/04/13】 Wake up call that we need to increase defence spending #2342.

Wake up call for a clear strategy and prioritisation - then depending on the gap the money.

On the flip side there are people on this forum who think TAS equipped GP frigates or AAW Destroyers add nothing to the ASW picture which is also wrong. I don't think anyone here thinks a GP frigate with a TAS can be as good as a ASW frigate at one on one ops or even 2 on 1 ops but they can add to ...

new guy wrote: ↑14 Apr 2024, 10:36 4 voyagers where there, and say each can support up to 4 eurofighters then that is 12 on-top of the 4 already there.

I thought it had been more than 4 for a while, closer to 12?

A GP frigate for at least half the price or more can provide a good level of ASW with a TAS and it doesn't need to be modularised. But would your GP frigate actually catch any submarines? If the chances of that are tiny, it's wasted money. There a lots of frigates and destroyers around the world fi...

Good news, but nothing new, isn't it? Batch 1 three ships in 1.5 years drumbeat, and Batch 2 five ships in 1 year drumbeat. First ship delivery to RN on 2025-26 (to be “in service” on 2027), last ship delivery to RN on 2035 (to be “in service” on 2036) is the plan from the beginning…. Possibly not,...

https://ukdefencejournal.org.uk/bae-target-dramatic-reduction-in-frigate-build-time/ We aim to reduce the build duration from the first of class being 96 months to the eighth being 60 months. More than that, we intend to compress the interval between ships from 18 months to 12 Now that’s an opportun...

new guy wrote: ↑11 Apr 2024, 22:47

tomuk wrote: ↑11 Apr 2024, 22:45
But as always you're wrong we need five GPs just to stand still. Were you made redundant by Babcock or something because you sure have an axe to grind.

Exactly. T31 just are the minimum, the lowest we can go.

Why is it? What’s the priority - utter nonsense

I am not arguing against your points only that unless the budget rises adding additional T26 will do nothing to address the problems with fleet balance. It’s not a priority if a balanced fleet is the goal. • The cost of 2x T26 would probably procure another 10x P8 at £200m unit. What impact would t...

Yes, 100%. Why? Because they drunk the cool aid that you can have the same effect with cheaper ships ignoring the requirement. The threat to Australia and the region is not going to be solved by GP assets with compromised ASW capabilities. Chinas threat is going to be subsurface and its CBGs. Well ...

A couple of reminders that a good ASW ship isn’t about just adding a modularised TAS.

https://ukdefencejournal.org.uk/i-went- ... b-frigate/

https://ukdefencejournal.org.uk/the-typ ... -is-quiet/

I think an interesting example of a company type operation by the Royal Marines and type of ship required for it , is the 2002 45 commando company deployment for operation anaconda. Would probably require a CVF, but doable. I would add the operations Paraquet and Highbrow and ones that should be mo...