It will be interesting to see the size of the order. A quick google shows the Saudis currently operating 80 F15C/Ds with an average age of 37 years. It could be substantial, especially given the threat situation. Even 48 would lead nicely into GCAP, 8-12 per year from say 2025 plus support of German...

I'm pretty sure KSA still wants Typhoon (and Tempest for that matter). BAE are deeply embedded in the country industrially, economically. The Saudis have long memories. There's also, hate to say it, the small matter that the Dassault family are Jewish and the company was Israel's main supplier for m...

TBH I don't give a damn about Turkey

But we've been selling fighters to KSA since the 60s. And their enemy, the Houthi, are right now holding global trade to ransom

Stretch a T26-derived hull just enough to squeeze in another MT30, without going back to square one No such thing. Ships are built around their propulsion, there's no way adding another MT30 happens without going back to square 1. Thanks. I was wondering. The BAE design teams likely need something ...

BAE do seem to be cracking on. I'm wondering if some of the redesign work they have been doing on Hunter leads directly into T83/FADS - increasing the Beam for example. I think the 165metre estimate may be bang on the money. Stretch a T26-derived hull just enough to squeeze in another MT30, without ...

Jdam wrote: ↑04 Jan 2024, 15:17 Thanks for the information but didn't they let go off all the staff that work on the M777 line in Barrow?

I think quite a few were transferred to Dreadnought

A bit of a random thought - is there any role for USVs in the mix? Glorified decoy, draw the drones away, maybe a remotely operated starstreak or two? Or is this a dumb idea

Interesting, that range is enough for a return trip from Tel-Aviv to Baghdad or Dharan airbase to Tehran, with about a 10% margin.

Almost as if it may have been a design objective

It certainly looks that way. On the sidelines there must have been some discussions around division of labor. IMHO it's about time for Australia to have a export defence platform again, after Ikara and Jindivik. Will help solidify support for AUKUS and maybe sell GCAP

Just a quick new year’s thought exercise - so I’m not saying I’m favour - if size and range are the edge Tempest is bringing to the table over F-35 A ( or future upgraded F35 Block X/F-35D). Would it be worth exploring an improved version of what Justin Bronk (I know he tends to shill for the US av...

MQ28 Ghost Bat?

Not that I'd support that, we really need to have sovereign capability, but you could see the political attraction, and the Boeing lobby.

Message sent

It's starting to sound alot like a new tank....

I bet it ends up with a new chassis

The range issue is a real and present one when you consider the UK and Japan, though 'slightly' more puzzling regarding Italy.... Looking into my 2040 crystal ball... Libya - failed state - massive gas reserves. A nice man from Beijing turns up offering a multi billion investment package .....

Realistically Israel and the Saudis are de facto allies and Israel's qualitative edge was pretty much non existent until 2018. F15 + F16 vs F15 + Typhoon incl Meteor. If KSA adopts GCAP - and they have 200 F15s that will need replacing sooner or later - and Israel use that to leverage themselves int...

The gripen e isn’t that small in physical size in terms of fast jets. I still do not really see how people are scaling the aircraft with what they’ve made public when they continually talk about it being huge in size. Is it physical size, weight or range or something else. The Italian requirement i...

The graphic in the telegraph (I know I know) listed GCAP as having a length of 18.9 metres, which would indicate F22 size

Maybe the journalist pulled the figure out of the ether but I thought at the time it looks oddly specific for a guess

Work with Boeing on a scaled up T7? Gripen E with a Tempest engine?

More on the Convention - the question of partners vetoing exports to non-partners is kicked down the road: ARTICLE 51 (1) The Parties shall create and maintain a common mechanism for facilitating exports of GCAP systems, subsystems, and technology to non-Parties. Such a mechanism shall be described...

Noteworthy report. https://news.sky.com/story/uk-signs-deal-with-japan-and-italy-to-build-next-generation-fighter-jets-in-britain-13029959 I read a lot of the convention. I don't like it. I hope it is not implemented in its current form. Why? Principally because it sets out to protect the project f...

"T31-as-is" is a T31 with a 57mm gun, 2x 40mm guns, 12-24x CAMM, SeaSentor STDS, 3x RHIBs, a Wildcat, with NS100 radar and so-so ESM/ECM decoy kits. How accurate is this anymore? I don’t think anyone knows for sure. No additional information. And, at this stage, no additional money is all...

I suspect that there have been back channels to Labor If not by the government itself then likely by the Treasury as part of their due diligence The Unions seem to be on board - and they've basically got the votes https://ukdefencejournal.org.uk/unite-the-union-calls-for-sustained-investment-in-uk-a...

True. Withe right attitude the legal structure is irrelevant

What if it something like NETMA more than MBDA/Airbus or other multinational companies. They Key wording i think it is "inter-goverment". https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/NATO_Eurofighter_and_Tornado_Management_Agency Then it's back to being a consortium. I think that is absolutely the wro...