The new Japanese 5,500t Mogami-class frigates (contract awarded Aug 2017), first four launched and first is already on its sea trials. FFBNW 16 MK41 VLS cells, November supplementary budget funding 32 cells presumably for next 2 frigates of the expected 22 frigate programme. Expected use of the 8 of...

Kremlin claims it could blow up all the US 32 GPS satellites with its new ASAT as tested a few weeks ago on 15th Nov when it demonstrated its capability by blowing up an old Soviet era Tselina D satellite. Why would you develop new missiles that relied on or partially relied on GPS for targeting, US...

Sea Wolf on Type 23 could control 4 missiles at a time two for each 911 FCR. Thales claims NS100 can track 1000 targets, but lets assume the radar needs to dedicate 10x more resources to turn target tracks into 'weapons locks' that's still 100 targets. It's unbelievable that Tacticos can only contr...

Impressive that Sky Sabre can control the flight of 24 missiles simultaneously whilst in flight, guiding them to intercept 24 separate targets, and assuming that capability down to the Israeli Rafael BMC4I system, battle management, command, control, communications, computers and intelligence (BMC4...

This articles says SkySabre (or LandCeptor)'s radar can handle 24 CAMM missiles at once. T23 has 32 CAMM. T26 has 48 CAMM. And, T31 has 12 CAMM... Surely, not only T31, but even T23/26 is not fully utilizing the systems capacity. Increasing its number shall be important. Hope T26 batch2 carries 96 ...

Interesting June video by True Velocity on their US Army option of a new 6.8 mm x 51 mm round for the NGSW. Its a plastic/polymer composite case with steel head and a tiny copper washer molded thru flash hole in primer pocket to protect the polymer (plastic is an insulator so no cook offs and after ...

P-8A survivability in anti-ship mission The CSBA think tank did a study for Congress in 2020 "Five Priorities for the Air Force's Future Combat Air Force" 94 pp, one para headed 'Stealth Will Be the Price of Admission for Operations in Contested Environments'. Note the P-8A/737 is not a st...

USN will be funding Boeing in the new year to integrate the Lockheed LRASM on their 128 P-8A Poseidon's which presume will replace the ability to launch Harpoon's. Always wonder about the ability of P-8A survivability to launch anti-ship missiles as it makes for a big target for long range surface a...

My younger self, who was far more clued up on naval matters than I am now, would always hear about the Greenland-Iceland-UK Gap as important for ASW vs Soviet Union in Cold War days. Is GIUK Gap still important in these days of Russian Navy rearming and with longer range of Russian sub-launched mis...

Dragonfire speculation. QinetiQ said that it expected losses of £14.5 million on what it called “a large, complex project” could it possibly be losses incurred on their coherently combined fibre laser and the associated phase control system for Dragonfire, after what appears to be the failure of Dra...

Have seen claims the new variant Aster 30 Block 1NT contracted for future fit to the T45 extends max range by 25% to 150 km/ 80 nm and presume similar percentage increases in range for performing subsonic and supersonic targets. FWIW that only stems from new lofted flight profiles so you won't get ...

FWIW recently came across range of Aster 15 (310kg) & 30 (450kg) missiles quoted by Norman Friedman 2005 Naval Institute Guide to World Naval Weapon Systems - 5th Edition Aster 15 Max range (non-performing targets) 30 km /16 nm Range against subsonic sea skimmers or supersonic fighters 1.7 to 17...

I wonder if we will use ship launched and recoverable UAVs to provide targeting data and allow mid course guidance? Always the problem of targeting OTH missiles, how do you know its not friendly ship, remember 1988 when the USS Vincennes shot down Iranian airliner, an Airbus A300 with the loss of 2...

Future ASBM (anti ship ballistic missiles), mention Italians looking at one for their new destroyer. The US Army developing the Lockheed PrSM, Precision Strike Missile, as replacement for the 1980's ~300 km MGM-140 ATACMS, Army Tactical Missile System, fired from the HIMARS, M142 High Mobility Artil...

Just looking at the new Chinese 003 carrier , going to be a piece of kit tbh don't know how a qe carrier would stand up to one tbh with the tilt to Asia , with their heavily armed escort ships also supporting their carrier and I'm sure new Stealth aircraft operating from carrier ,in my view would b...

Mk41 might be old hat when Type 83 comes around in 20 years. I recall reading a while back that while Mk57 is a bit bigger, the USN don't think it'll be big enough to hold future hypersonic weapons they expect to bring into service. My understanding both the Mk41 and 57 too small to take the hypers...

Interesting article 7th November USNI showing recent satellite pics revealing full size mock-up model of carrier on rails and two destroyers (Burkes) in desert target range with what looks like sophisticated instrumentation, presuming for testing their sensor heads of their carrier killer ~800 nm DF...

I seem to remember Babcock included a clause in T31 contract that excluded any mods or changes by the RN to the agreed specification and presume Babcock would have deleted any electrical, pneumatic and water supply lines etc for the Mk41s as in the parent Iver Huitfeldt design to save costs to meet ...

Thanks for linking this movie. // But, it also means the decision can also change in a few years. // Admiral also stated that the future escorts will be more relying on autonomous systems. Here comes the T32 concept. If so, I pretty much hope BAES starts its designing for T32. I wanna see how their...

The Swedish guns are cheaper. They are manufactured in the US to support US goals that have nothing to do with the UK. Any source you can quote to say Swedish guns are cheaper, would have thought the opposite due to their high wage/social cost economy and US manufactured ~ 45 to date for the LCS an...

Re VAdm Gardner Director General Ships at Defence Equipment and Support in a wide ranging interview two weeks ago, his thoughts in particular on the T26 "T26 very, very complex, necessarily so for high end ASW, densely engineered, very, very expensive but wasn't something that could be afforded...

BAE USA 28th October PR, awarded $26 million contract for two Mk110 /Bofors 57mm Mk3 for the first two of the new USN Constellation frigates, so approx £10 million each for T31s Bofors 57mm Looks like the contract covers three systems - two for US Navy and one for USCG. But Babcock have placed thei...

https://www.defensenews.com/air/2021/10/26/raytheon-ceo-air-force-may-not-be-able-to-afford-new-f-35-engine/ WASHINGTON — The Air Force may decide that it can’t afford to build an entirely new, advanced engine for its F-35A Lightning II fighter jet, the Raytheon Technologies chief executive said Tu...

I also said "modern" :lol: Oh, in that case, IH/T31 and French FDI frigates. To say, some fraction of modern frigates adopts CODAD. Still it is a minor fraction, but non-negligible, I think. Thanks. The "agriculture diesels", MTU 20V 8000 M71's , as used in the T31 and powered t...

BAE USA 28th October PR, awarded $26 million contract for two Mk110 /Bofors 57mm Mk3 for the first two of the new USN Constellation frigates, so approx £10 million each for T31s Bofors 57mm Approx weight of shells 57mm 5.3 lbs/2.4 kg // Mark 8 4.5" 46 lbs/20.9 kg // Mk45 5" 67.6 lbs/30.7 k...