Search found 796 matches

by mrclark303
19 Mar 2024, 07:06
Forum: Royal Air Force
Topic: Boeing E-7 Wedgetail (RAF)
Replies: 595
Views: 181585
United Kingdom

Re: Boeing E-7 Wedgetail (RAF)

Since when did we have to do a 'business case' for National Defence? Are the opposition going to be subject to CMA investigationi if they try to 'monopolise' us? All MoD equipment programmes go through several approvals rounds, larger projects above £100m will have the following ; strategic busines...
by mrclark303
13 Mar 2024, 14:43
Forum: Royal Air Force
Topic: Future UK Combat Aircraft (Project Tempest)
Replies: 4029
Views: 947367
United Kingdom

Re: Future UK Combat Aircraft (Project Tempest)

Bronk is a big mouthed tit who spreads misinformation like butter on hot crumpets. Totally in the pocket of we Americans and on record as repeatedly recommending Tempest be shit canned in favor of more F-35. Because, obviously, the US can always do it better. Prime misinformation example is the UK ...
by mrclark303
13 Mar 2024, 10:31
Forum: Royal Air Force
Topic: Future UK Combat Aircraft (Project Tempest)
Replies: 4029
Views: 947367
United Kingdom

Re: Future UK Combat Aircraft (Project Tempest)

Personally I'm thinking the next government if labour will definitely throw GCAP under the buss and try and hash a french plane , personally if I was BAE, I would turn around to the next government and say,we have a perfectly good plane and team up in gcap and if you want to throw it all under the ...
by mrclark303
12 Mar 2024, 12:21
Forum: Royal Air Force
Topic: Future UK Combat Aircraft (Project Tempest)
Replies: 4029
Views: 947367
United Kingdom

Re: Future UK Combat Aircraft (Project Tempest)

Open call from the CEO of Airbus to merge GCAP with SCAF... https://www.theguardian.com/business/2024/mar/11/airbus-chief-warns-europe-war-russia-second-trump-presidency Faury said: “We need to cooperate between European countries, including the UK, because we are in businesses where scale matters....
by mrclark303
05 Mar 2024, 13:51
Forum: Joint Service
Topic: New Medium Helicopter [NMH] - (RAF & AAC)
Replies: 479
Views: 49076
United Kingdom

Re: New Medium Helicopter [NMH] - (RAF & AAC)

@SW1 forgot to show the last paragraph in the article: That many accidents during a collective 1.7 million flight hours gave a rate of .87 class A mishaps per 100,000 flight hours, lower than the Army’s overall rate of 1.03 and lower than the H-60’s previous five-year rate of 1.04. Flightfax’s revi...
by mrclark303
05 Mar 2024, 13:38
Forum: Joint Service
Topic: New Medium Helicopter [NMH] - (RAF & AAC)
Replies: 479
Views: 49076
United Kingdom

Re: New Medium Helicopter [NMH] - (RAF & AAC)

Scimitar54 wrote: 05 Mar 2024, 11:21 Did not know that they were considering the Bristol Sycamore!
Well there is one in the Bristol collection and one at Western helicopter collection, I doubt we can afford more than that, so best get cracking with refurb.....

How about we throw in a Belvedere....
by mrclark303
05 Mar 2024, 09:20
Forum: Joint Service
Topic: New Medium Helicopter [NMH] - (RAF & AAC)
Replies: 479
Views: 49076
United Kingdom

Re: New Medium Helicopter [NMH] - (RAF & AAC)

@SW1 forgot to show the last paragraph in the article: That many accidents during a collective 1.7 million flight hours gave a rate of .87 class A mishaps per 100,000 flight hours, lower than the Army’s overall rate of 1.03 and lower than the H-60’s previous five-year rate of 1.04. Flightfax’s revi...
by mrclark303
03 Mar 2024, 23:03
Forum: Joint Service
Topic: New Medium Helicopter [NMH] - (RAF & AAC)
Replies: 479
Views: 49076
United Kingdom

Re: New Medium Helicopter [NMH] - (RAF & AAC)

The perfect all-rounder doesn’t currently exist. Which of the NMH contenders are: • As accomplished at ASuW as a Wildcat? • As accomplished at ASW as a Merlin? • As good a battlefield helo as a Blackhawk? It would need to be marinised with folding rotors, have excellent speed, perform well at altit...
by mrclark303
03 Mar 2024, 17:18
Forum: Joint Service
Topic: New Medium Helicopter [NMH] - (RAF & AAC)
Replies: 479
Views: 49076
United Kingdom

Re: New Medium Helicopter [NMH] - (RAF & AAC)

If they are falling over themselves for Blackhawk and wish to ignore the supposed industrial strategy cut the program delete the funding. They might get the message then that industrial resilience matters it’s not a catchy sound bite. yeah, that'll help the squaddies Does in France and Italy What o...
by mrclark303
03 Mar 2024, 17:11
Forum: Joint Service
Topic: New Medium Helicopter [NMH] - (RAF & AAC)
Replies: 479
Views: 49076
United Kingdom

Re: New Medium Helicopter [NMH] - (RAF & AAC)

Your industrial strategy is to retain the design integration, manufacture test skills in rotorcraft industry…..Aerospace is an expensive business but you get better outcomes if you keep the design integration and test in country . It’s highly unlikely the NMH contract will be awarded before the GE ...
by mrclark303
02 Mar 2024, 14:53
Forum: Joint Service
Topic: New Medium Helicopter [NMH] - (RAF & AAC)
Replies: 479
Views: 49076
United Kingdom

Re: New Medium Helicopter [NMH] - (RAF & AAC)

I thought this an interesting line in the government announcement yesterday on procurement shakeup. “ On exportability, yesterday I published the next stage of our New Medium Helicopter competition – this includes a strong weighting for exports to ensure the high quality rotary work it will support...
by mrclark303
29 Feb 2024, 01:46
Forum: Joint Service
Topic: New Medium Helicopter [NMH] - (RAF & AAC)
Replies: 479
Views: 49076
United Kingdom

Re: New Medium Helicopter [NMH] - (RAF & AAC)

SW1 wrote: 28 Feb 2024, 20:32
mrclark303 wrote: 28 Feb 2024, 20:06
It has to be marinised in respect of having shipboard
compatible avionics and tie down points.

Our Merlin’s didn’t meet that requirement with all our ships……
Merlins don't have shipboard compatible avionics or tie down points???
by mrclark303
28 Feb 2024, 20:06
Forum: Joint Service
Topic: New Medium Helicopter [NMH] - (RAF & AAC)
Replies: 479
Views: 49076
United Kingdom

Re: New Medium Helicopter [NMH] - (RAF & AAC)

Heretical thought here - should we be buying ANY non-marinised helicopters from here on in? Given the pretty clear tilt to an expeditionary CONOPs. Where exactly is an Army-only helicopter going to be used? BAOR doesn't exist anymore. The USMC don't operate Blackhawk. Or Chinook. Or Apache. I'd put...
by mrclark303
26 Feb 2024, 15:13
Forum: Joint Service
Topic: New Medium Helicopter [NMH] - (RAF & AAC)
Replies: 479
Views: 49076
United Kingdom

Re: New Medium Helicopter [NMH] - (RAF & AAC)

Are we going to have a sweepstake..... I'm still sticking with Leonardo's sacred Wasteland site will be secured at any cost.... I've added a (somewhat lighthearted) poll! Have fun. :D P.S: Open to any obscure or mad suggestions people might like to add. It's currently 50/50%, I'm convinced it will ...
by mrclark303
26 Feb 2024, 13:51
Forum: Joint Service
Topic: New Medium Helicopter [NMH] - (RAF & AAC)
Replies: 479
Views: 49076
United Kingdom

Re: New Medium Helicopter [NMH] - (RAF & AAC)

Ignoring the platforms, and focusing purely on politics, my money's on Airbus. Should the programme go ahead before the election. Why do you think that? Alyn and Deeside is a far more marginal constituency than Yeovil. It's had a Labour MP since it was created in 1983. Even if things got a bit dice...
by mrclark303
26 Feb 2024, 13:09
Forum: Royal Air Force
Topic: Future UK Combat Aircraft (Project Tempest)
Replies: 4029
Views: 947367
United Kingdom

Re: Future UK Combat Aircraft (Project Tempest)

I think Saudi Arabia have missed the boat regarding partnership now, but will sign up as a lower tier partner. While final assembly might not be on the cards, they can certainly manufacture components for the program.... Ok, I get that, but why would a tier 2 partner 3d print things? Why not machin...
by mrclark303
25 Feb 2024, 17:53
Forum: Royal Air Force
Topic: Future UK Combat Aircraft (Project Tempest)
Replies: 4029
Views: 947367
United Kingdom

Re: Future UK Combat Aircraft (Project Tempest)

I think Saudi Arabia will end up being a tier 2 partner, they can certainly contribute by 3D printing sections of the airframe. Why that particular combination of level of partner and manufacturing process? I think Saudi Arabia have missed the boat regarding partnership now, but will sign up as a l...
by mrclark303
25 Feb 2024, 13:57
Forum: Royal Air Force
Topic: Future UK Combat Aircraft (Project Tempest)
Replies: 4029
Views: 947367
United Kingdom

Re: Future UK Combat Aircraft (Project Tempest)

WORLD DEFENSE SHOW 2024 — While the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is “very keen” on joining the UK-Italy-Japan Global Combat Air Program (GCAP), localization remains a priority for any deal to be sealed, a key Saudi industrial official tells Breaking Defense. “I think [joining] the program [GCAP] is impo...
by mrclark303
24 Feb 2024, 14:36
Forum: Royal Air Force
Topic: Future UK Combat Aircraft (Project Tempest)
Replies: 4029
Views: 947367
United Kingdom

Re: Future UK Combat Aircraft (Project Tempest)

Interesting. I don't see how the Aeralis concept could be applicable to the LIFT part - it would surely need to be supersonic. Maybe some kind spin out of GCAP using M346 as a base You can guarantee the Italians are pushing very hard for a M346 derivative for GCAP Lift. Why wouldn't they, they make...
by mrclark303
23 Feb 2024, 16:08
Forum: Joint Service
Topic: New Medium Helicopter [NMH] - (RAF & AAC)
Replies: 479
Views: 49076
United Kingdom

Re: New Medium Helicopter [NMH] - (RAF & AAC)

Ignoring the platforms, and focusing purely on politics, my money's on Airbus. Should the programme go ahead before the election. One would hope Leonardo's industrial promises aren't taken seriously anymore by the MoD. Not to mention they have RN PROTEUS (the programme not the ship) to keep them bu...
by mrclark303
23 Feb 2024, 11:04
Forum: Conflicts
Topic: The war in Ukraine
Replies: 1156
Views: 84785
United Kingdom

Re: The war in Ukraine

https://twitter.com/FCDOGovUK/status/1760669354197500254/photo/1 https://www.forces.net/ukraine/uk-send-200-more-brimstone-anti-tank-missiles-ukraine So who thinks there will be a forced diplomatic solution this year? If the stailmate continues into the Autumn, without a significant counter offensi...
by mrclark303
23 Feb 2024, 10:38
Forum: Joint Service
Topic: New Medium Helicopter [NMH] - (RAF & AAC)
Replies: 479
Views: 49076
United Kingdom

Re: New Medium Helicopter [NMH] - (RAF & AAC)

https://twitter.com/Gabriel64869839/status/1760334116933742860 I doubt it, it will be kicked into the long grass for the next government to try and figure out how to pay for it.... My guess is the whole thing will be reduced to a rolling lease deal for a minimum number of medium helicopters https:/...
by mrclark303
22 Feb 2024, 21:26
Forum: Joint Service
Topic: New Medium Helicopter [NMH] - (RAF & AAC)
Replies: 479
Views: 49076
United Kingdom

Re: New Medium Helicopter [NMH] - (RAF & AAC)

new guy wrote: 22 Feb 2024, 16:05
I doubt it, it will be kicked into the long grass for the next government to try and figure out how to pay for it....

My guess is the whole thing will be reduced to a rolling lease deal for a minimum number of medium helicopters
by mrclark303
15 Feb 2024, 08:50
Forum: Royal Navy
Topic: Type 31 Frigate (Inspiration Class) [News Only]
Replies: 8467
Views: 2140289
United Kingdom

Re: Type 31 Frigate (Inspiration Class) [News Only]

Sigh. No reputable source has said the Type 31's will be getting Mk41's with ExLs. Hence it is a figment of imagination. How the Poles and Saudi's configure their ships has fuck all to do with it. Why do you have to be so obnoxious? How the Saudis and Poles configure their ships is very relevant. T...
by mrclark303
06 Feb 2024, 20:14
Forum: Royal Air Force
Topic: Future UK Combat Aircraft (Project Tempest)
Replies: 4029
Views: 947367
United Kingdom

Re: Future UK Combat Aircraft (Project Tempest)

Maybe that's the tempest demonstration model that base are going to use as test in a couple of years but the GCAP model will be totally different in future IDK to be honest, I thought of that too, but we have already seen the 10m+ inlets for the tempest demonstrator and I don't think those will fit...