Breaking news out of Germany. The Bundeswehr has finaly decided (they took their time for so long) to acquire 123 of the Australian Boxer CRV block 2 for their needs. This mean the manned Lance turret with Spike Atgm missiles. https://x.com/Jeff21461/status/1770476323447644525?s=20 At c.€15.5m per ...

I share your interests in both TSR2 ( having collected just about everything ever written on the subject over the last 30 years) and also P1154, the same thoughts have crossed my mind too. F35B is effectively a modern take on P1154 the Admiralty wanted 60 years ago. GCAP shares a lot of the same de...

The question that people are really asking is do you want the political construct that goes with such a joint program. It really has little to do with the airframe requirement that’s just a smokescreen. A useful smokescreen in my opinion. Making GCAP carrier capable is very alluring, were it not fo...

Just flapping his arms in hope of a bigger work share. One line had me scratching my head: If participating nations just want a next-gen platform, he said, that “already exists — it is called F-35 and can be modified easily.” Was always going to be inevitable on the European side of GCAP. We don't ...

https://twitter.com/larisamlbrown/status/1768277531751329955?t=vxUoMRUUcbfz3imklRi3tA&s=19 The GPS signal was interfered with for about 30 minutes while the jet flew close to the Russian territory of Kaliningrad on the Baltic Sea. Mobile phones could no longer connect to the internet and the air...

https://www.navalnews.com/naval-news/2024/03/singapore-cuts-steel-on-its-first-multirole-combat-vessel-mrcv/ Interesting concept. Not quite an amphib, not quite an escort. At 8,000t it's a fair bit bigger than the Absalon Class too. - Leonardo’s 76mm naval gun in the STRALES variant; - MBDA’s VL MIC...

mrclark303 wrote: ↑13 Mar 2024, 10:31 GCAP is shaping up to be a far larger aircraft.

It certainly is:

But a Global Hawk is in no way comparable in size to a 737. The GH and the Triton both have a span of 39.9m versus c.36m for a Boeing 737 NG or MAX. I doubt he meant anything more specific than that. It's a quick way to give the committee a reference point for the size of an MQ-4C, rather than an i...

They brought Bronk back to Parliament.... :? He seems to have taken an issue with Japan and their more exquisite capability requirements... International Relations and Defence Committee: The Global Combat Air Programme Video: https://parliamentlive.tv/Event/Index/c7fc2a65-ab60-4dd5-a63b-58eb11de014b...

Also, I don't think BAE (BAe or BAC) has shown such backbone in its entire corporate existence. If they had, we might have avoided a number of ridiculous failed programmes and the billions of taxpayer quid they've pissed away on them. Regardless, no one would want to mess up the four-way revolving d...

Oh sweet jesus no! Please, for the love of god, keep the squabbling twosome, French and Germany out of GCAP! An attempt to meld the two will utterly compromise the design, as the French will insist on something a third smaller for carrier compatibilities sake.... The Japanese, British ( to a lesser...

Open call from the CEO of Airbus to merge GCAP with SCAF... https://www.theguardian.com/business/2024/mar/11/airbus-chief-warns-europe-war-russia-second-trump-presidency Faury said: “We need to cooperate between European countries, including the UK, because we are in businesses where scale matters. ...

Historical problems faced by QE carriers.... https://www.forces.net/qe-class-aircraft-carriers/teething-troubles-problems-faced-crews-royal-navys-two-carriers QE sailing delayed https://www.forces.net/services/navy/hms-queen-elizabeth-due-depart-portsmouth-monday-repairs Two very good adverts for b...

Let's hope NMH doesn't end up as the second worse. Blackhawk is the only contender that's been designed for battle rather than being a civvy painted green. Should be an easy pick. Pity none of the contenders went for a full Union Flag paint scheme... Seems to have worked in the past. Suspect if Bla...

I know its the Daily Mail but... https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13138221/Britains-cash-strapped-Navy-forced-sell-aircraft-carrier-HMS-Prince-Wales.html Last night, Mr Wallace said: 'For the last 20 years the UK's Armed Forces have not been able to deliver to Nato what they have claimed. M...

I know its the Daily Mail but... https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13138221/Britains-cash-strapped-Navy-forced-sell-aircraft-carrier-HMS-Prince-Wales.html Last night, Mr Wallace said: 'For the last 20 years the UK's Armed Forces have not been able to deliver to Nato what they have claimed. M...

PS Thatcher was correct, Westlands should have gone to Sikorsky and Puma should have stayed French. Can blame the perfidious dog murderer, Heseltine for that.... Not to delve too deeply into alt-history, but feel Sikorsky would have been a far better long-time partner for Westland. Lots of success ...

Then I don't see any need for modification. You won't be able to modify it any further than 1 Merlin, no need for the hanger to hold UAV's when they have their own storage area and 2 wildcats in the hanger should be more than suffice for the operations this platform undertakes. Just for clarity. My...

Given the low number of escorts available it’s extremely difficult to see how this could be justified. On the other hand if a meaningful increase in funding actually transpired….. https://twitter.com/NavyLookout/status/1762753401803215182 Seems a great deal more valuable a contribution than floatin...

There may well be a plug amidship to lengthen the hangar, and I wish I could remember where I read it, but I’m pretty sure there’s a plug in the B position too. I’m guessing it has to do with the depth of the VLS (Mk41, even in tactical configuration, is deeper than the CAMM mushrooms)… however, I ...

SW1 wrote: ↑27 Feb 2024, 16:41 Well they did start trying to replace Puma in about 1990….

Even earlier! AST.404, the combined Wessex and Puma replacement goes back to the early 80s.

What's amusing is that Black Hawk, one of the original contenders (then to be built by Short Brothers), is still in the running for NMH.

Anyone know what the Echo Class crane could handle? Appreciate the A-frame probably isn't up to the task.



Wonder how much life we could have gotten from them if the money (and crew) was there.

With current polls at 48% Labour, 24% Conservative with predictions of majorities of 280+. Building a couple of dozen helicopters at Broughton will swing the election? Anyway won't jobs be safe in Broughton if they bring Peter Mandelson's Machine back on line. https://youtu.be/D3kLl9atj0Y?feature=s...

Are we going to have a sweepstake..... I'm still sticking with Leonardo's sacred Wasteland site will be secured at any cost.... I've added a (somewhat lighthearted) poll! Have fun. :D P.S: Open to any obscure or mad suggestions people might like to add. add FARA 😂 Ah, 'Comanche 2: The Next Generati...

Are we going to have a sweepstake..... I'm still sticking with Leonardo's sacred Wasteland site will be secured at any cost.... I've added a (somewhat lighthearted) poll! Have fun. :D P.S: Open to any obscure or mad suggestions people might like to add. P.P.S: I've somehow managed to reset the poll...