I think I should post this in response to the copied tweet regarding where the two competitors were in terms of maturity. Technology Readiness Levels (TRLs) are a technology management tool that provides a measurement to assess the maturity of evolving technology. The Ministry of Defence defines the...

You really should read the history of the program rather than airing out uninformed opinions. I'm quite familiar. I've been following it for a while. Perhaps you could direct me to specifics reasons as to why "Anyone but BAE" might exist? And yet you didn't know the GD bid was based on mo...

Ron5 wrote:You really should read the history of the program rather than airing out uninformed opinions.

I'm quite familiar. I've been following it for a while.

Perhaps you could direct me to specifics reasons as to why "Anyone but BAE" might exist?

1. GD/LM won the contract based on modifying the existing Warrior turret. Never happened. That can't be true of the Ajax contract that involved GD, because there wouldn't be enough Warrior turrets spare. 2. What "legal action" ? What on earth thinks that stands a chance in the UK?? Who ha...

while i don’t think that the lm turret at the time was as advanced as the bae one, it was much more advanced than trl1. https://youtu.be/rM2btez4tsc note the age of the video, for example. one thing that i’m always curious about everytime it is brought up: if there was an “anyone but bae” prejudice;...

What about powering the RWS etc. I am not sure if the Ajax family have auxiliary generators enabling systems to be powered whilst the main power unit is switched off like some AFVs do. What would the RWS be doing during firing that it isn’t doing prior to firing? Does a solenoid draw that much power?

bobp wrote:Anything to do with the engine revving up?

Could be, but why should it? It's not like firing a Browning should require any power.

Maybe the fumes rising from the front right of the hull every time it fires?
I don’t think that’s what it is, but i’m curious as to what else it could be.

As for looing to Japan (Type 10) or South Korea (K2), both these are very expensive platforms, probably the most expensive platforms actually. If we decided to go for new build the only real option would be a version of the Leopard 2A7, but if the figure of £12M per tank for the CR2 LEP is accurate...

Pretty sure you could buy a brand new M1 if you really wanted one. Folks have been buying used and refurbishing them to save money not because there wasn't an alternative. You could have many things if you want them enough, but it’s going to cost... I've read authoritative estimates of up to an ave...

I don’t believe there are no new build options. Poland are negotiating to license produce the Korean MBT. There are new build options, they’re just not Leopard 2s or M1 Abrams, 1200 HP vs 1500 for Leo2 in a heavier vehicle which would get heavier still as a result of LEP. Which might be a concern o...

Maybe there was something in the requirements that was necessary for the scout vehicle that was incompatible with an IFV? I can’t think what that would be, but it could explain why the the British might warn the Australians off the vehicle. Makes about as much sense as the British warning the Austra...

“The armoured division of today is different to that of 1991...we are talking, ultimately, about lethality and mobility. I wonder what he thinks he means by that? Post upgrade Warrior and Challenger will be better armed in absolute terms, but not so much relative terms. Mobility is probably worse a...

Presumably there is a lead time for all the components that go into a vehicle, plus the time to put them all together. If vehicles are being delivered then one can infer that there will be a number on the production line as well.

Ron5 wrote:The Ajax results from a pretty much total redesign of ASCOD to meet the UK requirements.

UK requirements for a scout vehicle, not an IFV?

389 Jaguars are being purchased, now, in a fixed price contract of 1 million eur each including R&D. I’m not sure what you mean by full fighting trim. Has the same gun as Ajax and is physically entering service now. Well, there’s many different ways of accounting. I strongly suspect that the Fr...

For 8 billion pounds we could buy 200 M1 or Leo2, 500 Jaguar for recce, 2000 Patria AMV for everything else and still have change left for artillery. Realistically the M1s or Leo 2s, to the latest standard, will cost £ 8-10m each, so £2bn for them. I would be surprised if the Jaguar comes in at und...

Does not need to given that we have AH64D and Predator armed with Hellfire, Typhoon armed with Brimstone and will later this decade have Protector and AH64E with Hellfire and F35 with Spear? And these assets will be available all day, every day? In all weathers? Responding quickly enough to each an...

On a different subject, turning the Boxer into an IFV would not be a difficult of costly task. Rheinmetall have already developed a number of IFV modules for the Boxer, and installing the turret that has be extensively tested for the Warrior would not be a problem. SO you have an IFV module develop...

Also, I imagine that moving a division is harder in part just because vehicles have got massively heavier... That would depend on what you term “massively heavier” A Challenger 2 in normal configuration masses only 10 tonnes (20%) or so more than a Centurion. It’s also somewhat more reliable. Trans...

I think they're fairly easily answered. Boxer is already budgeted for and due to arrive in the next few years. It's surely much cheaper just to buy Boxer and convert part of the buy to the IFV role, than to both buy Boxer and also proceed with Warrior CSP. I don’t see how there can be any surety in...

If the Army cancels Warrior CSP, switches Boxer to the IFV role, and uses Ajax for recce + firepower (alongside MBTs), you have a fairly decent start on a solid conventional armoured brigade, especially if you rebuild your railway capability and buy a couple hundred extra HETs to make the whole thi...

It did have one before, but then the program was cut, many of its variants cut, and then the eventual formation it was supposed to fit into completely changed after the point at which it had already built steam.. I think at the point that it was clear that the requirements called for something the ...

What exactly are they for? Rushing around with dash and elan What will they do? Take up large chunks of equipment budget, rush around with dash and elan, burn nicely. Cant fight tanks, but can't self deploy. It can fight tanks, but it’s likely to lose. It can self deploy, but it’ll be hard work and...

ArmChairCivvy wrote: Sure, but it is a sad state of affairs if a single bunker that got in the way just because it existing came as a surprise would have to be dealt with by 'the request' going up all the way to 'divisional fires'

If you don’t have tanks or PGMs with your field artillery, there isn’t much else.