All heading in the right direction....

https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/ ... conference

The devil will be in the detail.

The Prime Minister just announced in the commons, "By the end of the decade we will have 24 Frigates as opposed to 15 today" Make of that what you will. The Integrated Review document states: • Develop the next generation of naval vessels, including Type 32 frigates and Fleet Solid Support...

The Sun is reporting that HMS Montrose and HMS Monmouth will be decommissioned early as part of the Integrated Review. "The Navy will lose two specialist sub-hunting frigates, HMS Montrose and HMS Monmouth, as well as its 13 strong fleet of minehunters which are due to be replaced by drones.&qu...

There's a difference between doing it to yourself for your own reasons and having it inflicted by a third party. The fact is, if we jump when the IR is published next week, we jump first. Taking the long term view, I'm not sure who jumps first is really that important in the final analysis. If the ...

RichardIC wrote:....the UK is shafting a massive US-led industrial undertaking.

Does the same apply to the US if they end up doing the same?

If the Fleet Air Arm end up with 50 to 60 F35's and the RAF concentrate on Tempest is it really a bad outcome?

I think it's pretty clear that 138 was never going to happen.

2023 seems ambitious to say the least! https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2021/03/08/royal-navy-eyes-catapult-system-launch-drones-jets-aircraft/ Royal Navy eyes 'catapult system' to launch drones and jets from aircraft carriers Experts warn 'Plan B' launch and recovery systems needed for F-35 The MoD...

Great news!

Appledore or Cammell Laird?

I just absolutely don't get what this thing is that some people have with the Absalons. Having a frigate-transport vessel hybrid is just weird. It does nothing well. The Danes didn't follow through with it and in nearly two decades it's been around no-one has gone with a similar concept. We don't k...

As said before given what has been said about type 32 i.e 5 ships and the talk in 2019 when Babcock got type 31 of a follow on order it looks like we will be once again getting the wrong ship. We can only guess that type 32... We really don't know enough about the T32 yet to make a judgement yet bu...

...many of the 80-90m/2000t class OPV are struggling with low helicopter availability, and many modern 80-90m class OPVs now omits hanger... That's just the LOA the RB2's ended up being. Many designs could have been chosen, especially for the cost. IMO the unbalanced escort fleet, slow delivery of ...

donald_of_tokyo wrote:Looks promising...

It would look more promising with a hanger but I agree, the versatility is encouraging.

RichardIC wrote:It's not anything to do with "our fish" because HMG caved in on that one.

Did they?

It really depends if your strategic horizon is 5 minutes or 5 years.

Ron5 wrote:Sure, they're in the mail.

Daily or Sunday?

Whilst the PMs announcement last month was most welcome.... What did he actually announce apart from confirming the things that have already been announced previously? The commitment to the T32 is pie in the sky at this stage. On our current trajectory RN escort numbers are likely to fall slightly ...

Perhaps the debate should be whether we might now need a US style Coast Guard with maritime law enforcement powers covering fisheries and environmental protection, customs and policing at sea. Its probably the super efficient RNLI that has stopped such a setup being formed before now. A properly re...

ArmChairCivvy wrote:Why would they?

Exactly, that's the bit we won't know until the IR is released.

The BAE “Frigate Factory” in Osborne South Australia cost the Ozzie taxpayer 550m AUD, which is about 300m£. The facility at Osborne is truly impressive and much more capable than what Babcock are proposing at Rosyth. Babcocks intentions are clear, what I want to know now is, are BAE now going to c...

the treasury could see the line for infrastructure improvement cost and said that had to be removed. How do you know that Although many suspect the reason why it was deleted I'm not aware this information was ever openly in the public domain. I'd be interested to see a source quoted to back that up.

Credit to Babcock for committing to such a level of investment on what is a pretty modest contract. https://twitter.com/NavyLookout/status/1337343942103339009?s=20 https://www.navalnews.com/naval-news/2020/12/babcock-invests-in-advanced-shipbuilding-facility-for-type-31/ Now we just need the Frigate...

Nuclear powered for a cool $6bn.

https://www.marinelink.com/news/frances ... ier-483735

Personally I think two QE's was a much better option.

From today's Telegraph, Exclusive: Military cuts of £1bn over next year, with Navy Reservists suspended for first time Sweeping savings to the Armed Forces will also see drill nights and training weekends paused Royal Marines Commando Reservists training in Norway The military is to make £1 billion ...

Bit of a Ding-Dong here but good to see some tough and sustained questioning about insufficient escort numbers and how limited T31 capabilities will actually be as currently configured. https://parliamentlive.tv/event/index/e9df01f0-500d-4618-93d2-965ceedb633c?in=11:30:44&out=11:46:10 No sign of...

If HMG is in hurry, I think UK shall just keep T23 longer. Not ideal but a simple solution. T32 exactly needs this kind of money. Original 10 years equipment budget never included T32. An increase of £20bn to £30bn for RN over 10 years is sizeable. At £2.5bn to £5bn for the 5x T32 hulls that still ...

I think we need to be more fair here you can't compare first steel cut to ship hand over and a gov thinking about a new ship and it being on front line ops. A-140 should go from first steel cut to hand over in 36 months and this from a cold start yard If Babcock can stick to the proposed schedule i...

From today's Telegraph, https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2020/12/06/sink-swim-shipbuilders-flood-cash/ Sink or swim for shipbuilders after flood of cash A shortage of skills could yet frustrate the Prime Minister’s bold ambitions to safeguard both the industry and union “As long as I can remembe...