I would love to see MBDA develop CAMM cells in a shipping container with a single data link fitted to a River B2 just to show it done it could lead to sales You could just park a Land Ceptor unit on the back...the unit comes off the MAN truck and can rest on legs and be lashed down. But..... I don'...

Kongsberg has stated that NSM does do terrain following (which given the sensor must mean TERCOM or TERPROM). Just checked Kongsberg say... "terrain following through advanced mission planning"...which could mean using maps, radar alt and GPS....would have thought if it was using TERPROM ...

Not sure where this says anything about terrain-following? It doesn't. It's worthwhile noting that there are different methods of terrain following. There is radar based terrain following, optical scene matching (like TERPROM or TERCOM), radar based DSMAC or even a more basic terrain following usin...

Always good to have a new player anyone know the cost per unit of this We don't know if its like for like (but it won't be far off) but Corporal Frisk reported that the IAI bid that won the Finnish contract was c40% cheaper than the Boeing price for Harpoon II+. RBS.15 is also apparently cheap (but...

So it looks like the following are in the mix (or could be): - Kongsberg NSM - A lot of peoples favourite, comparatively cheap, increasing user base, stealthy with land attack - Saab RBS15 (Mk.3 or Mk.4 'Gungnir' though?) - Mk.4 has entered service so presumably would be offered, Germany went for Mk...

ArmChairCivvy wrote:We bought all 45 of Tomahawks (who knows if we have bought more; a handful of them have been fired since)
... so removing any rqrmnt just bcz we have Tomahawk would not be sound

Buy was around 65 and replenishment of fired missiles has taken place at least twice now to maintain stockpile.

PhillyJ wrote:2 Pumas were circling and landing in the dockyard today so that was a pleasant change.

Think that was a delegation from Turkey visiting.

If we want the simplest solution to which system to purchase for the Interim SSM requirement then the Boeing upgrade of the Block I Harpoon to Block II is the best answer in my opinion. IIRC the RN's Harpoon are that old that the upgrade would cost as much as new build. I believe the USN upgraded m...

Dahedd wrote:To operate we'd apparently be best to have a base on the equator. Suggestions ?

Have a look at the QinetiQ/Airbus Zephyr thread, I've posted a fair bit on the Zephyr and Phasa 35 there in the past.

Funnily enough id thought about Ascension or the new runway at St Helena Hmmm....St Helena...windshear.....Airbus Zephyr.....not a good combo. Best place we have for a Zephyr at present would be over BIOT surveilling the archipelago's marine reserve and EEZ for illegal fishing and overstaying cruis...

SKB wrote:By the way, whatever happened to Dragonfire?

Still being developed, it has encountered some delays though.

Another batch of pics.. bottom set 1st Picture BAE P950 USV with MSI Venom RWS - https://www.baesystems.com/en/multimedia/asv-p950-autonomous-rib-video 2nd Picture - Bit of a mystery... Mystery Jetski again? Possible Liquid Robotics WaveGlider competitor? Mine neutralisation UAV (but doesn't appear ...

RFA Mounts Bay holding an unmanned conference onboard... 1st Picture L3 Harris MAST 13 - https://www.l3harris.com/newsroom/press-release/2020/05/l3harris-integrates-mast-13-autonomous-surface-vehicle-royal-navy MSubs Manta - https://www.navylookout.com/manta-the-royal-navy-gets-its-first-extra-large...

Of course Scott is a rather massive thing; does anyone know why exactly? It's got an utterly enormous sonar,and has to have long duration at sea in the worst weather with decent accomodation for the crew. But mainly because its ballast tanks hold 8,000 tonnes of water for stability whilst surveying.

ArmChairCivvy wrote:the UK Gvmnt soon reminded not only of shareholders in general, but the Golden Share in particular

UK Government Golden Share in BAE went many, many years ago...

But it could be re-surrected..and they know it.

Happened in February apparently from an F-35A. Important to note these are early steps, unpowered drop tests only to date. From some of the comments in the thread it looks like external carry and release is not part of the trials programme, which means no JSM for B unless someone else funds it...(Ja...

And here it is...potential order of Aerovironment Switchblade. Not a big one, probably for trials or SF. Looks like its the 300 as well, not the 600.



https://www.avinc.com/tms/switchblade
https://www.avinc.com/tms/switchblade-600

It would probably be easy and cheap to have T32 be a modified T31, where the 24 CAMM farm goes behind the radar mast (like in the T26), which would enable a full width mission bay amidships, with 8xSSM mounted on top. Add some silencing by mounting the engines on absorbers, add a HMS and a VDS and ...

Hopefully I can be educated here but could the Type 26 be used for the Type 32 concept, my thinking is that we already have the design or is the Type 26 not suitable for the mother ship role? The way I see it..(and I'm probably wrong). Type 32 could only be: - A massively de-specced T26 - Some comm...

@02:54 - SD Tempest made the trip up too! It says that Tempest has come up to provide Aircraft Carrier docking expertise, presumably as its the first time in Glen Mallan. But is SD Tempest a single point of failure at the moment? Are the rest of the tugs able to handle the QE Class on their own? Or...

- one could fairly safely assume that smaller airforces that can only afford to buy one (multi-role) fighter design would need a plane sitting “Scramble ready” on the tarmac rain, shine, sleet, and hail, and not a “Hangar queen” that can’t be exposed to the elements. For most western european count...

Some people say River B2 shall have been added with a helicopter hanger. Also some say it shall be up-armed. But, many of the 80-90m/2000t class OPV are struggling with low helicopter availability, and many modern 80-90m class OPVs now omits hanger (See Australian OPV, Japan Coast Guards OPV, and G...

If RN got all F-35B then they need to find the money to pay for it, which means any dreams of expanding the surface fleet goes up in smoke as the RAF take their ex-Tonka money away to spend on something else ... Ain't going to happen Or the RAF loses that budget to the RN... After all the Army is a...

PhillyJ wrote:Too soon for any 809 F35B's?

They're not standing up until 2023, administratively they may have a couple of people preparing the squadron for re-activation at the moment, but I doubt any more than that.

RNAS Marham coming then, with all 617SQ planes transferred to 809NAS?! According to the Times IR report today that now looks like a slam dunk....F-35B orders look likely to be capped at 48. With 24 Tranche 1 Typhoons going, all attention then switches to Tempest. Surely they have to all go to the F...