Search found 301 matches

by matt00773
18 Feb 2019, 06:23
Forum: Royal Air Force
Topic: Future UK Combat Aircraft (Project Tempest)
Replies: 4067
Views: 951095
United Kingdom

Re: Future UK Combat Aircraft (Project Tempest)

Interesting news on an Italian response to the approach taken by France and Germany on FCAS - " Taking sides: Italian defense industry rep attacks Franco-German fighter deal ". https://www.defensenews.com/global/europe/2019/02/15/taking-sides-italian-defense-industry-rep-attacks-franco-ger...
by matt00773
17 Feb 2019, 23:13
Forum: Royal Navy
Topic: Type 26 Frigate (City Class) (RN) [News Only]
Replies: 5461
Views: 1465038
United Kingdom

Re: Type 26 Frigate (City Class) (RN) [News Only]

Currently SPY-6 only is working in S band. There are software and hardware faults on the X band unit. Indeed, the X-band component will not be ready when SPY-6 is rolled out from 2023 - due to be available in later batches and well into the 2020s. They will continue to use the SPQ-9B rotating radar...
by matt00773
17 Feb 2019, 20:48
Forum: Royal Air Force
Topic: Future UK Combat Aircraft (Project Tempest)
Replies: 4067
Views: 951095
United Kingdom

Re: Future UK Combat Aircraft (Project Tempest)

For what it's worth, I've got no issues with Italy joining the Tempest programme - in fact I would welcome them given their pedigree in tech development. Japan and Sweden would also be fantastic additions.
by matt00773
17 Feb 2019, 20:19
Forum: Royal Navy
Topic: Type 31 Frigate (Inspiration Class) [News Only]
Replies: 8470
Views: 2142968
United Kingdom

Re: Type 31 General Purpose Frigate [News Only]

Leander CIC has 8-console (?) CMS-1. Apparently CMS-1 / DNA(2) has been renamed as INTeACT Combat Management System. News to me until I stumbled across the product page. I think it would be an easy assumption that INTeACT will be the CMS for all the T31e designs - given that it is the RN mandated s...
by matt00773
17 Feb 2019, 19:46
Forum: Royal Navy
Topic: Type 26 Frigate (City Class) (RN) [News Only]
Replies: 5461
Views: 1465038
United Kingdom

Re: Type 26 Frigate (City Class) (RN) [News Only]

Looking at X-band radar again and the USN approach where their Office of Naval Research, ONR, makes it clear it considers X-band the only suitable wavelength for its next generation surface radar. No sign of the RN envisage installing on T26 though will be fitted to Hunter class with S-band radar f...
by matt00773
16 Feb 2019, 12:07
Forum: Royal Navy
Topic: Current & Future Escorts - General Discussion
Replies: 19147
Views: 7057654
United Kingdom

Re: Current & Future Escorts - General Discussion

MOD/RN were seduced by the promise of the next great leap forward with the GT by using an intercooler and recuperator that would deliver low specific fuel consumption across the engine's operating range. Not only did MOD fund this leap forward, but not with a low power GT for proof of concept but t...
by matt00773
16 Feb 2019, 09:43
Forum: Royal Navy
Topic: Type 31 Frigate (Inspiration Class) [News Only]
Replies: 8470
Views: 2142968
United Kingdom

Re: Type 31 General Purpose Frigate [News Only]

It is a good piece of kit but pricey compared to Sea Ceptor. How does this link in to the T-31e programme? I think the point is around T31e ideally having capability to support other country's missiles - e.g. Barak-8. Barak-8 is designed to deal with similar threats as Aster - but is not nearly as ...
by matt00773
16 Feb 2019, 07:01
Forum: Royal Air Force
Topic: Future UK Combat Aircraft (Project Tempest)
Replies: 4067
Views: 951095
United Kingdom

Re: Future UK Combat Aircraft (Project Tempest)

Jensy wrote:There's also a slide doing the rounds from back in November courtesy of Gareth Jennings:
It was nice of them to use an image of BAE Replica as the next gen fighter jet.
by matt00773
15 Feb 2019, 18:17
Forum: Royal Navy
Topic: Current & Future Escorts - General Discussion
Replies: 19147
Views: 7057654
United Kingdom

Re: Current & Future Escorts - General Discussion

NickC wrote:T26 reverted to a version of the tried and tested T23 HED propulsion system.
T26 didn't revert from the T45 propulsion system - it was never intended to have IEP. It has its own unique CODLOG system that was designed for next generation AWS. It's more advanced than the CODLAG system in the T23s.
by matt00773
11 Feb 2019, 22:17
Forum: Defence Elsewhere
Topic: Spain
Replies: 104
Views: 7688
United Kingdom

Re: Spain

Spain to join the FCAS combat jet program headed by Germany and France. I was sure there were comments a couple of months ago that Spain might join the UK programme.

https://www.france24.com/en/20190211-sp ... at-fighter
by matt00773
11 Feb 2019, 08:11
Forum: Defence Elsewhere
Topic: CHINA
Replies: 379
Views: 30348
United Kingdom

Re: CHINA

News article on China's plan to upgrade the Liaoning aircraft carrier and sell it to Pakistan to increase their influence and help counteract India's growing strength in the region. Not sure if Pakistan would actually buy and operate however. http://www.navyrecognition.com/index.php/news/defence-new...
by matt00773
10 Feb 2019, 14:29
Forum: Royal Air Force
Topic: Future UK Combat Aircraft (Project Tempest)
Replies: 4067
Views: 951095
United Kingdom

Re: Future UK Combat Aircraft (Project Tempest)

I’m not sure what you think €65 million buys you in the aerospace engineering world but you’d be lucky if it bought you 150 engineers for 18months. If it was a serious change of pace looking to actual develop a program production example you’d be looking to budgets to get about 6500 engineers invol...
by matt00773
09 Feb 2019, 09:04
Forum: Royal Air Force
Topic: Panavia Tornado (RAF)
Replies: 201
Views: 112058
United Kingdom

Re: Panavia Tornado (RAF)

I was scrounging around the Parliament website for defence statements and came across this regarding the Tornado jets after service. Q: Nia Griffith "To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what plans he has for the Tornado aircraft after they are retired." A: Andrew Stuart "The ma...
by matt00773
08 Feb 2019, 17:47
Forum: Royal Navy
Topic: Type 26 Frigate (City Class) (RN) [News Only]
Replies: 5461
Views: 1465038
United Kingdom

Re: Type 26 Frigate (City Class) (RN) [News Only]

SDL wrote:

thought this was decided ages ago?
I think you're referring to the preferred bidder win that Type 26 got last year. This announcement is for signing the contract. So everything is agreed and full steam ahead for the build...
by matt00773
08 Feb 2019, 17:44
Forum: Royal Navy
Topic: Type 26 Frigate (City Class) (RN) [News Only]
Replies: 5461
Views: 1465038
United Kingdom

Re: Type 26 Frigate (City Class) (RN) [News Only]

Same news by Xav-san Canadian AESA looks compact. May be able to be added to the T26's own mast? https://www.navalnews.com/news/2019/02/canadas-combat-ship-team-awarded-csc-design-contract/ According to a Lockheed Martin representative at SNA 2019 the radar is a solid state SPY AEGIS fire control r...
by matt00773
07 Feb 2019, 21:09
Forum: Royal Navy
Topic: Type 26 Frigate (City Class) (RN) [News Only]
Replies: 5461
Views: 1465038
United Kingdom

Re: Type 26 Frigate (City Class) (RN) [News Only]

News that the contract for the Canadian Type 26 - Lockheed Martin/Irving/BAE - is set to be signed. Announcement by elected officials to be made at Irving shipyard in Halifax tomorrow morning. https://ottawacitizen.com/news/national/defence-watch/liberals-rush-to-sign-canadian-surface-combatant-cont...
by matt00773
02 Feb 2019, 09:25
Forum: Royal Navy
Topic: Type 26 Frigate (City Class) (RN) [News Only]
Replies: 5461
Views: 1465038
United Kingdom

Re: Type 26 Frigate (City Class) (RN) [News Only]

Canada trade tribunal dismisses complaint by Alion on selection of Type 26 by Procurement Canada - Lockheed Martin being prime contractor. Still two more cases by Alion to be heard but you have to wonder how realistic these are in winning. "The CITT, however, has now rejected that complaint. “T...
by matt00773
02 Feb 2019, 09:05
Forum: Defence Elsewhere
Topic: German Armed Forces
Replies: 593
Views: 42382
United Kingdom

Re: German Armed Forces

Germany has officially ruled out the F-35 to replace its Tornado aircraft. This is obviously a political decision as there's been no technical evaluation or cost phase of the programme. I expect it will be Typhoon in the end as alluded to in posts above. https://www.defensenews.com/global/europe/201...
by matt00773
31 Jan 2019, 18:08
Forum: Royal Navy
Topic: Type 26 Frigate (City Class) (RN) [News Only]
Replies: 5461
Views: 1465038
United Kingdom

Re: Type 26 Frigate (City Class) (RN) [News Only]

What they do show to me (maybe only me) is that none of the current list of contenders look very suitable. I still think the mostly likely outcome is a cancelling of the program. That's quite a dramatic statement. I'm not sure the programme will be cancelled but agree some of the ships look ill fit...
by matt00773
30 Jan 2019, 14:12
Forum: Royal Navy
Topic: Type 26 Frigate (City Class) (RN) [News Only]
Replies: 5461
Views: 1465038
United Kingdom

Re: Type 26 Frigate (City Class) (RN) [News Only]

Considering that the USN in the past rarely bought gold plated top notch one trick ponies, but rather bought good enough Jack of all trades, master of none, but in numbers- I don't think that they will go for T26... But we shall see. They certainly got their fingers burned with the Zumwalt class sh...
by matt00773
27 Jan 2019, 12:49
Forum: Royal Navy
Topic: Current & Future Escorts - General Discussion
Replies: 19147
Views: 7057654
United Kingdom

Re: Current & Future Escorts - General Discussion

Unless the radar can detect out of its backplate, that makes no difference in that it will always have a gap on each rotation. Indeed, the rotation of the radar does mean that for a brief period of time there is no scan that s taking place. You need to understand thought that the Artisan/SAMPSON ra...
by matt00773
27 Jan 2019, 12:04
Forum: Royal Navy
Topic: Current & Future Escorts - General Discussion
Replies: 19147
Views: 7057654
United Kingdom

Re: Current & Future Escorts - General Discussion

Agree X-band has normally much shorter range than S-band for ships as size of long range X-band antenna arrays large, but for surface search for a sea skimming missile horizon is what 20nm depending on height, so having separate X-band fixed panel radars dedicated to that role with their higher def...
by matt00773
24 Jan 2019, 19:30
Forum: Royal Navy
Topic: Current & Future Escorts - General Discussion
Replies: 19147
Views: 7057654
United Kingdom

Re: Current & Future Escorts - General Discussion

Thanks for comments, my understanding. Agree S-band capable of detecting sea skimming missiles, though no radar expert understand radar range resolution is approx. inversely proportional to bandwidth and bandwidth is roughly proportional to frequency, X-band radar ~ 9-10 Ghz would have a range reso...
by matt00773
23 Jan 2019, 18:24
Forum: Royal Navy
Topic: Current & Future Escorts - General Discussion
Replies: 19147
Views: 7057654
United Kingdom

Re: Current & Future Escorts - General Discussion

Not to be parochial, looking at how rest of the world's navies are progressing, encourage discussion on recognising that RN with Type 26 and 31 class now falling into world's second division, or could you argue limitations will be compensated by relying on carriers Crowsnest to supply the necessary...
by matt00773
23 Jan 2019, 02:41
Forum: Royal Navy
Topic: Type 31 Frigate (Inspiration Class) [News Only]
Replies: 8470
Views: 2142968
United Kingdom

Re: Type 31 General Purpose Frigate [News Only]

There is a narrow "niche", to built a ship which design is from abroad. This is very very narrow niche = impossible. I can find only two examples: - Irish Navy's OPV, which is Vard-7 design of CTX marine (not a Fincantierri group member). - Israeli Gal-class submarines, of German design, ...