shark bait wrote:-

Long term the B2s should be replaced with something more interesting (T31/T32) and the B1 can be retired.

Absolutely Spot On!

I’ll look on the positive side (happier now that the mini-guns have been replaced by 0.5” Machine Guns). Hopefully PWLS has those by now!

So you are saying that F35A or B have more than doubled in (dollar) price, since our earlier purchases are you? How do you explain that; when with increased production rates, they were in fact reducing in price. Effects of Russia’s “Special Operation”? or perhaps “COVID”? Neither would account for a...

Reported by Navy Lookout!

They do seem to have already committed to 24 in 25 for CSG25 to the Indo-Pacific.

Spots for 2 x Wildcats …. Not much use for the number of Bootnecks likely to need Vertical Lift !

Correct at the present time. However, by the end of this year we should have 2 x notionally operational squadrons (with 18 x operational cabs between them) PLUS a fully equipped OCU, subject of course to aircraft undergoing maintenance. Not so bad then, with another 6 aircraft due to arrive during 2...

Guzz Fuzz!

That would be for Miss Isles herself would it? Sorry, I should perhaps have said A.S. Isles.

The FCF (LSS) proposal was actually to provide for a “Re-enforced Company”! I do not accept this growing and unfounded conjecture, that what we are looking to deploy is a Light Company.
Barking up the wrong tree springs to mind!

I could have said, that when you say “You think.”, it is obvious to anyone (even to a 12 year old) both in your post and in your reply, “that you have not used the power of thought at all”. However, I won’t.

How about acquiring some of the surplus MV22s ?

SW1 wrote:- an lhd is a perfectly credible platform for anything the UK would have to do form the sea that is just reality. Alright Group Captain Hindsight. Just what do you think would have been the result, if we had constructed 2 x large LHDs capable of operating the F35B aircraft IF the “B” vers...

Originally posted in Current and Future Escorts - General Discussion Poluytrewq wrote:- Without a fixed strategy savings can be made whenever it is politically expedient to do so. This statement is something that is so fundamental to our ability as a country to raise and maintain adequate defences, ...

More than (3%) of GDP (which should not include the indirects either) would be more like it! AND
Stop destroying the economy and allow the GDP to increase.

Warton (BAE) just resumed production of the AW159 Wildcat !!!!!

Wrong part of the Country (Not Lancashire)
Wrong Company (Not BAE)

Try Yeovil, Somerset and Leonardo (Augusta Westland) and you just might be correct !

JFH most certainly did not work ok! ……. It lost the nation its only Naval Fighter (the Sea Harrier FA2). The RAF then dumped the entire Harrier Force to keep their Tonka toys for a few more years! …………. Result, a Carrier “Gap” AND the QEC Carriers entered service with “No Aircraft”. Complete and utt...

topman wrote:- Transferring' the aircraft solves nothing. I tend to agree (as things stand right now). There are overall (Air) issues that the RAF need to urgently bring to resolution. eg The Pilot Training pipeline. Engineering Training and the standing-up of the next Squadron(s). Whichever servic...

SW1 Wrote:- We have been engaged in the largest conflict in Europe since the Second World War for the past 18 months and your much vaunted and vital carrier strike group hasn’t put to sea for 1 day as a fully worked up group that doesn’t scream vital to me in anyway. Firstly, WE have NOT been invol...

Repulse Wrote:-

My personal view - LHDs are for navies that can’t afford aviation platforms and LPDs

Did you mistakenly intend to imply that your view was applicable to the USN then! It is clearly NOT correct in that case is it ?

Poluytrewq Wrote:-

That would provide the hanger space for:

- 2x Chinook
- 2x Apache
- 3x Merlin
- 4x Wildcat

I am curious as to how you have arrived at this “Rotary Air Wing” across the Modified Bay, Wave Class & was it 2 x T31s! It would be most useful if you could elucidate?

If you don’t have enough people, you will be leaning on those that you have to an even greater extent. giving an additional reason for people to leave the service. Dedicated people will put up with poor treatment (in a good cause) for a while, but there are limits and HMG have pushed “the services” ...

All this talk of preferring smaller ships (escort vessels) for the same price as those we have already got is complete bunkum. Who, in their right mind would suggest that we go back to a Trafalgar sized SSN for the Astute replacement, or a T42 batch 1 sized T83. Just to cap it all who would try to j...

I think that we will have to agree to disagree. Firstly, “Port” can also be a Military term. a) The QEC Class Aircraft Carriers are both “Home Ported” at HMNB Portsmouth and receive all of their maintenance & victualling (short of dry-docking and loading of ammunition) there. b) As you well know...

Not “In Dock” of course, but “Alongside in their Home Port”. Excellent photo though!