UK Defence Forum

Lord Jim wrote:I agree that makes sense, unfortunately the Treasury doesn't agree.

Also RN refused to face the fact there will be less than “19 escorts”, I guess.

1) Delete the rear two landing craft davits and replace them with two 20m x 6m box hangars (roughly Type 23 size) for maintaining two Merlins, with any additional helos stored outside (as they are now). I like this proposal. So, I am looking at the Albion design. See photo attac...

HMS Brecon, now a training vessel.

HMS Spey, almost finished. Great to see. # can see many of the sat-com antenna, and landing support system on the port-side of the funnel, emergency rafts, are lacking yet. from "https://mobile.twitter.com/lene2104/status/1275890810794409986" https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EbTf7UkWkAEIin5?for...

By sacrificing remaining T26? = adding even more cost on T31.

Painting T31 in camouflage makes more sense. Or River B2. They need (visual) stealth. But may be the color in Persian gulf, Caribbean Ocean, and Med, will differ from what is needed in North Atlantic, on which place T31 is not likely to be use intensively. :D How about starting with HMS Forth in far...

But, does't the EEZ patrol/fishery protection OPV better be more visible than stealthy? What if the fishery boat misunderstand the distance to the vessel, or its shape? :D Actually, Canadian navy painted one of its frigates (and another MCDV) to this color. https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/3302...

it was explicitly the intention of the T31's role in the shipbuilding strategy to shorten (RN) service life to keep design/production busy. But, do you believe on it? It was explicitly the intention of the T31's role in the shipbuilding strategy to DELIVER 5 T31 within 1.25B GBP including everythin...

And now, HMS Severn has recommissioned. What made it so long. Looking at the twitter comment of her skipper using the ship from months ago, it was primarily of lack of crew and their training ? Also, as the skipper (forgot his name) says, the ship looks like to be used mainly for navigation training...

Lets face it, the interim solution is one of those programs that can get cancelled without much headlines, with what going on right now I am not confident we are going to get it, I would love to be wrong. So I don't think it matters if the Australians get it or not as we will not be getting it, tha...

No money is no money, this is the point. We may not need come into any conclusion what to cut now, but we can be prepared for it, in case, it is forced. So, my proposal will be --- fantasy, I admit (but a black-fantasy ?) ---- 1: Sell 1 LPD. Keeping it costs to some extent, and anyway RN will not be...

Also, Babcock guy never said T31 is capable of 11m boat. I seem to remember a Babcocks person saying something like "davits for up to 10m boats, but there is room for larger boats if required", or something like that. That's from memory, but I remember thinking at the time, that 11m was a...

They must be compatible with 11 meters motorboat (so any of the ARCIMS and ALCYON classes USVs developed for the Combined Sweep and MMCM systems respectively). Just for my curiosity - because i can't easily track down the boat bay capabilities anymore - will these USV's be operable from T31? If the...

The Russians do something similar, but using a helicopter dipping sonar rather than a buoy. Russians are using an independent helicopter dipping sonar, located apart from the vessel? The new point here is, the sonobuoy(s) are located apart. The boats can "hunt" SSKs "towards the buoy...

A bit more detailed info on "Pacific 24 USV". “While initial tasks are likely to be familiar to those who already operate a Pacific 24, the autonomous nature of this craft adds huge capability and flexibility. “Additionally, this capability can be constantly improved, allowing continuous u...

HMS Tamar. Another very nice photo. Her photographer is superb.

While on the surface this is a good capacity measure, and will do for peace time tasks, it falls short if a need to ramp up for possible conflict as then comparing like with like will need CAPACITY x CAPABILITY as the valid comparator. True, in general. However, in this case, only half true. "...

Whilst I would love to rewind the clock and kill the T31 before it was born, I agree it’s probably too late. @Donald-san gave some options and the one that makes most sense is to go with a mix of vessel configurations, “full” and “lite”. If these ships will replace the B2 Rivers as the forward base...

tem-2 means, the money may go to F35B, E-7, P-8 or even Fort Austin up-keep. No one know. As I understand, treasury and MOD has an agreed "equipment budget for 10 years". Treasury is always honest here, so they will provide that money. Or to build a new hospital or service the national de...

Good point. In the contract announcement last September, Babcock is to build 5 hulls with 1.25B GBP total, while "other issues", initial maintenance, and GFX will be included in the remaining 0.75B GBP. Not clear what is within the 1.25B, and what in 0.75B. (I understand "other issues...

First Of Six Tapper-Class Patrol Boats Re-Joins Swedish Navy Following ASW Upgrade https://www.navalnews.com/naval-news/2020/06/first-of-six-tapper-class-patrol-boats-re-joins-swedish-navy-following-asw-upgrade/ Swedish small patrol boat, Tapper-class (22m long, 64 t in weight), has been upgraded t...

That's your opinion. Thinking competition will bring the price down. I do not think so. If true, France, Italy, Span, Netherlands, all must have kept two-three yards. They didn't. You are saying they are totally stupid, although they are successfully efficiently building warships and even gaining si...

1. The Type 31 has not been contracted to come fitted with a sonar. 2. Cancelling the program would just deprive the navy of 5 ships. There is no reason to supposed the savings would be applied to other Navy projects. 3. Opening up the contract to make changes would undoubtedly increase the cost be...

Jensy wrote:"The first Type 26 frigate is being constructed in Glasgow and design changes flowing from production have increased the design’s baseline weight and slightly extended its overall length," it said.

Interesting, as this is about UK T26, not RAN.

Lets not mix words there Not able to do ASW for the Carrier group and not having a HMS are two different things Type 45 has a HMS but can't do ASW for the carrier group. Type 31 will be a capable of long periods of Forward deployment or long range singleton patrols that will be its job there by fre...