In other words, if the average sea going days per hull in 2010-2014 is kept, we need only 8.3 hulls in 2015-2018. More sensationally, current RN tasks can be covered with only 8.3 Type-23. It matches our impression that "deployed" escort number has decreased significantly these days. No A...

You are right. RN shall fight for "more money" and "more man power". But, the man-power "lost" from T23 = 840 amounts to "PoW crew". HMS Illustrious (650) and Ocean (285) were providing the other 800 crew for QNLZ (some 100 are lost elsewhere). QECV manpower &...

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 8.64...

https://www.parliament.uk/business/publ ... 10/177797/

Now sell the rivers and T31, then build 20 multi mission ships. That's far more elegant. I hear talk about the need to 'rebalance' the RN's fleet, perhaps its correct, but at the moment the plan is swinging way to far to the low end. ?? Your "20 multi mission ships" are high end? At least...

Ron5 wrote:No Type 22's were sent mine hunting in the Falklands. No Type 26 will be either.

Type-21 was sent to see if they will sink by mine or not. Fact.

Because she was not sunk, amphibious fleet go into Falkland strait and San Carlos bay.

What I meant is, having larger hangar is NOT related to it being "steel is cheap and air is free" saga. Some looks cheap, some are expensive. - For me, the clear example for "steel is cheap and air is free" saga is Bays and Points. I can add Floreal-class, it has a large hangar. ...

Done some checking, they never had ASW Merlins just the utility variants and the Danish Air Force still has 14. The Navy is replacing its Lynx with Romeos. Steel is cheap and air is free, the Super Lynx made to look small in Absalon hanger sized for the Merlin Nice photo. But, I think it is unrelat...

Donald-san apologies if answered before why do you not believe "steel is cheap and air is free" argument. I take the opposite view based on the Danish Abslon and Iver Huitfeldt class ship designs. The Iver Huitfeldt 6,600 ton class was $340M per ship, understand the basic hull was built i...

There's three arguments that I refuse to accept: 1. Kit that costs more is automatically better than kit that costs less. That's absolute bollox as can be seen on any trip to a shopping mall or defence exhibition. That would say all American ships are automatically better than everyone elses becaus...

There are two points, forcing the T31e program as it is now. 1: Small amount of money, less than half of that of FTI. 2: Lack of time. T26 is already on going. What makes it complicated is item-2. We can propose to cut 2 T26, add their 1.5B GBP to make T31 into a program for "5 tier-2 escorts&q...

I'm not suggesting the Type 31 program be changed or the budget increased but following the earlier line of thought, how far could a Leander be improved, at what cost and how well would it the match up to the FTI as advertised today. Very interesting, thanks. Although I have some questions on the c...

Thanks Ron5-san. May be I shall wait for your "cost" comment, but technical issue can be discussed independently. - The sensor will be much better. I assume you mean radar which I disagree. Artisan can project more power in any direction, is mounted higher therefore giving more coverage, a...

Thanks. How about Option-4: ? - Cut T26 down to 6 (or even 5) - Cancel T31 programme or merge with the MHPC - Combine T31/T26 budgets to get 11-12 hulls that can be upgraded over time - Give the T26 lite's a T31 spec to get them in the water but include HMS/2087 Best option? For clarity, you are pro...

Figure of merits of 3 "cost-neutral" options: Here I provide my assessment of 3 cost-neutral options on T31e. I assume, in wartime surge, 50% of the assets can be sent. In peace time, 25% of the assets are deployed "far from Britain" (=other than TAPS and FRE). (number from fact...

the whole idea of building warships for an exact fit with peace time tasks is flawed, sorry to say. Agreed - if we were to take that to the extreme, we would never build any proper warships! T31e (as Leander) is far from useless in war time. An asset with 12 CAMM with Artisan and a CIWS with ESM/de...

However in war it will have to fill the shoes of Type 26 numbers 9 - 13, because if the Type 31s don’t, or can’t, what will? As the cost of T31e amounts only for 2 T26s, we must not compare 5 T26 vs 5 T31e. Whether 5 T31 can do something "as useful as 2 T26" is the only question we shall ...

Well what if the RFI was altered to reduce the capability requirements, so no Sea Ceptor ever, no sonar ever, medium calibre gun, FFBNW CIWS, able to operate Wildcat sized helicopter, removing any growth potential, reducing the budget a maximum of £175m per vessel and so on. The MDP no longer calls...

Perhaps you could amplify your claim that the FTI is so much better than a Leander. Yes, the FTI will come fitted with a HMS plus towed array rather than just being fitted to receive. But what else? In other words, for twice the price, what does the customer get for the extra money? Many. - The sen...

Might be already posted. In this USS Essex F35B operation movie, F35Bs are using the full length of the deck, 257m long, and still after the lift-off, it looks "heavy". See from 2:40- onward. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GDd0b6sl-b4 I think the bombs are carried, and fuel are full. I'm ...

What do "sponsored reserved" and "FTE" mean?

[Thales Link] That is the upgraded next gen one, not the one being discussed. And it still lacks several of the key fixes that are far more important. VT-1 is the one used NOW in French frigate, which was the discussion key point. (If we are to compare original Crotale with Sea Wolf, it must be the...

Is it not more important to focus on the comparisons going forward? Thanks. The French are not building any more Floreals or La Fayettes they are replacing them with FTI's, a much more advanced and capable class of Frigate. The FTI although an usual design in many ways is vastly superior to what Le...

By the way. Crotale VT-1 missile is with "Mach 3.5 speed, load factor to 35G, 11 km range, 13 kg warhead (8 m kill-zone) and 6,000 m ceiling". Sea Wolf is Mach 3, with 10 km range. Looks similar? Not from the sources I found. Crotale maxes out at just past Mach 2 in its version being disc...

Maybe more fantasy fleet, but I’d be very keen to see a different approach in place of the 3rd FSS. I’d argue with the 3 Bays and 4 Points give a decent ability to lift supplies - what is missing is one (or two) ships that can carry the ship-to-shore connectors. In your plan, both Albion and Bulwar...