My preferred option would likely be to do a straight copy of the Type 26's CODLOG powerplant, parts commonality will save money. If it's possible a near-straight copy of the T-26's machinery spaces transposed into the new frigate might make some savings in the design and construction of the ships (...

Diesels weigh more than gas turbines, but I'm not at all sure that they use less space because GTs have huge throughputs of air and exhaust fumes, requiring substantial ducting through the ship to wherever they are. I have never seen cost figures for naval powerplants, but have always understood tha...

Whilst I think we should aspire to 8 of these new surface combatants, we cannot sacrifice credibility to get there. The tasking I have listed may be long range independent deployments, so endurance and survivability are key. I do think such a suggestion is achievable and affordable, through a mixtu...

That Type 23 has gained ~700 tons over a 20 year lifespan clearly shows the class has grown substantially. As far as I know it's still the same size, it's just closer to sinking! ;) Fitting a handful of Mk.41 strike length cells is more expensive, but in my view it's a justifiable cost. It buys you...

Gabriele wrote: The Navy, on the other hand, has so far preferred to defer aircraft procurement (not just F-35C, but mostly) to fund shipbuilding.

They seem to be in no hurry to acquire the F-35C as they are still ordering F/A-18s.

For frigates Type 22 B3 & 23 are bigger than almost everything else out there. Both are ~5,000 ton platforms with nice growth margins. Like should be compared with like. T22 B3 had a normal displacement of 4,200 tons, deep load 4,900 tons. T23 was designed for a normal displacement of 3,500 ton...

Also, just to inject a bit of perspective into this debate, the Royal Navy do not operate "light" or "second rate" ships for a very good reason: they saw first hand what happens when you try and actually fight a war with them Some great examples. I would also add the type 14 whi...

Further digging turned up this photo of the ASCG on HMS Northumberland, which looks exactly the same as the one in my photo - so unless the Northumberland photo is wrongly captioned, the Sutherland did get ASCG before her refit. I think... :? https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/95...

Oops - I've just discovered that HMS Sutherland only emerged from a major refit last summer, so the photo I showed above was pre-refit. Does anyone know whether the replacement of her DS30B by ASCG took place during the refit, or did it take place earlier? Considering it's a standard RN weapon, it s...

Albion and Bulwark were of course the last two users of Goalkeeper. The RN decided that the logistic burden just wasn't worth it for two mountings. I think that Goalkeeper is rather stuck in the middle, in that it has a substantially bigger ship impact than Phalanx for perhaps not a great deal more...

Yes, the LS/MSI mounting seems to be modular, in that you can have it manned or remotely controlled, with various guns fitted and the option of adding missiles (but possibly not if the manned option is retained). It's beginning to look as if it's quite hard to see the difference between the old DS30...

Just an afterthought: comparing both of the ASCG mountings (T23 and T45) with the MSI product line, it looks as if the backward-sloping box on the left of the mounting (when standing in front of it) is the seating position for manual control. So the RN seems to have gone for a belt-and-braces approa...

Yes, thanks. Pic of HMS Sutherland below, taken at DSEi in 2013. Apart from the different barrel shroud and the exposed twin ammo feed of the MK44 rather than the enclosed single feed of the KCB, these look pretty well identical. So it seems to be correct that the T45 has the ASCG but with the Oerli...

I'm looking for some help, guys, concerning the T45's 30mm gun armament. There are two single mountings from the MSI Seahawk range - but exactly which mounting and which guns? For the last quarter of a century the RN has been using the manned DS30B mounting fitted with an Oerlikon KCB gun, firing 30...

One of the Navy's biggest complaints from Op Ellamy in 2011 was a lack of long range land attack options available to our frigates - their land attack capability being exclusively confined to NGF/counter battery work alone. Which is the reason for switching to the Mk45. The SGP round, if it's procu...

RetroSicotte wrote:Reference is to the lighter frigate, not the Type 26, I'm afraid. Much as it'd be wonderful elsewise.

The English language can be very ambiguous at times...

SKB wrote:They are likely to be names beginning to be the letter 'F'

Could always pick some placenames from Wales - choose from:

Ffaifach, Ffaldybrenin, Ffarmers, Ffawyddog, Ffestiniog, Fforest, Fforest-fach, Ffostrasol, Ffrith, Ffynnon-ddrain

The U.K. equipment keeping the cost down could be the retrieved equipment from the M.R.A.4 nimrods as Boeing was the integrator and the the system on P-8A is an upgraded system. If upgraded the retreived equipment is cheaper than procuring new mission system for the U.K. airframes . If the M.R.A.4 ...

With larger (~2700t FL) hull and a fixed hanger for a Wildcat, 99m OPV design will be good. Considering its large hull, it can also be "fitted for but not with" even a 5in Gun, which in future (or for export) can make the ship a "Floreal equivalent" patrol sloop. The problem wit...

wonder if UK will follow suit and get the Lewis Machine tool weapon? If they had to buy a new 5.56mm rifle now, they might - since, like NZ, they have bought the LMT 7.62mm rifle as the L129A1 "Sharpshooter" (Designated Marksman Weapon in NZ). However, they are not planning to replace the...

Why start from the Type 21 when the Type 23 is a bigger, more modern and more appropriate starting point... Thanks for comment. This is simply because T21 and T23 are based on different requirements. T23 is hi-grade, hi-end ASW hull, claimed to be "the best ASW frigate" even in 2015. RN s...

Again, what will be wrong with modern, lessons learned "Type-21 like" light frigate? Why start from the Type 21 when the Type 23 is a bigger, more modern and more appropriate starting point, in terms of weapon layout (VLS already in place)? It is already at the c.4,000 tons you are talkin...

Just to throw something else in D.A.R.P.A has been testing for the U.S.N their Towed Airborne Lift of Naval Systems (TALONS) that can tow via a parafoil and enhancing sensors , sensory equipment at some height above the ship this is believed to be relatively cheap and may be of consideration for th...

[I suspect CAMM-ER is going nowhere. That's up to the Italian Army, since CAMM-ER is being developed to meet their requirements. If they follow through and buy it, then it will become an existing system, fully developed and presumably using the same radar and FCS as CAMM, so very simple to add as a...

Some info posted on Warships1: A recent written answer has gone further than what Ministers have said to date in relation to numbers of the planned GP frigate. Earlier statements suggested the new frigate would offer the potential for an increase in numbers. However a Commons written answer on 3 Dec...