Local enlarged local BOT units with enhance HADR capabilities, and constabulary patrol craft make sense - in fact a lot of this is in place already. However, it makes zero sense for this to divert funds (as in reality this is what would happen) from the UK services to do more as you will reduce the...

With regard to HADR in the Caribbean, there is more than one way to address that. The current policy has several parts. In addition to the RN/ RFA naval presence, there has been: Enhanced co-operation with France and the Netherlands; Placement of UK military command & co-ordination teams on-isl...

Why do all the ships of the class or possibly future ones need to be configured the same? The current configuration doesn’t cost £4-500m. Lets wait and see, there is another 5 years of inflation to get through. The T31 is evolving, it’s getting more complex and expensive. As such the price will con...

Can't help but believe that the eventual T83 design will be influenced more by the outcome of direct energy weapons (eg lasers) vs missiles than any other factor. For one thing, if DE wins, the eventual ship can be much smaller. Got the names picked out: Lion, Tiger, Princess Royal, Hood, Nelson, R...

Definitely 3-4 hulls would not be enough, even 4 is asking for trouble, I really do hope that future Government has learned it's lesson & won't shrink the RN any further so at least a 1 for 1 replacement should be the minimum - be interesting to see if they will go for a new version of Sampson ...

Also to drop in but with nothing in the Mk-41 VLS goes for both type 31 and type 26 so there for dose not affect the unit price of ether ship No objection. I think people tend to think things are easy with T31 and difficult with T26, or vice versa. No, both types cost "so-so", and both ha...

Also, dreaming of Waves and LSDs is just that a dream unless something changes. Why? The 2 Waves are already tied up for lack of crew, and that’s before crew need to be found for an additional 2 Solid Stores ships and MRoSS. The 2nd MRoSS has supposedly been delayed, and the two additional FSS (thr...

If so, I would be interested to know how you would have intended to cover all RN escort missions apart from TAPS, CSG escort and ASW patrol in GIUK Gap. Do you see RN's surface escorts having ANY role(s) outside the T26's ideal intended missions? In short no. The only one that is questionable is Ki...

Let’s see shall we. As for calling it a Global Combat Ship, we’ve got that already called the T26. What’s more it can fight above and below the waterline. Regardless, we need CSG escorts we do not need singleton GCSs who will be quickly overcome by any half decent near peer nation. If I have unders...

Oh good Lord, what makes people think that a 6000 t ship, based on a design that can already handle 32 Mk41 tubes, 24 Mk56 tubes and 16 Harpoon deck-mounted launchers CAN'T handle 32 Mk41 tubes, 24 CAMM tubes and 16 NSM FFS - get real folks Its not the matter of doable or not. Is it rapidly doable ...

I thought Vampire was one of the many UAV Projects that RN looking into?

Sorry yes, ESF… which is a LRG plus a CSG (not both LRGs). However, if this is the game being played then you want the LPD which can take a combination of fast Assault Craft, USVs and larger landing craft. Very different capability from four LCVP sized craft. Put the three Bays together and you sti...

I’ve always thought the Lifex made little sense. Old ships, worked hard - what’s the point. Far better surely to spend that money upgrading the RB2s and or adding mk41 to the Type 31s The last T23 went into LIFEX back in 2020, so the RN did change their policy a couple of years back. That was decis...

Adding some more capabilities to the B2 is the right thing to do regardless. I would however, move the crew to get the second LPD in place ahead of taking over RFA ships. By doing this a Bay class can go, which means that RFA crewing issues are alleviated and it’s better aligned to the future. I ho...

HMS Westminsters future in doubt :- https://www.navylookout.com/hms-westminster-refit-suspended-and-her-return-to-service-in-doubt/ Just shows how much we’ve flogged these platforms and unlikely to be an isolated incident. The delay in starting the T26 is really starting to bite. From memory the la...

If so then as global tensions continue to escalate, to me it would make sense to up-arm the River B2's accordingly, albeit in a suitably low cost manner, so that RN's main funds can be focussed on Warfighting escorts. In an ideal world with an unlimited budget that would be great but cuts are comin...

….VL Spear they could be quad packed in MK-41 Regardless of PODs, VL Spear3 or something similar is very important for the T31 and the FCF. Quad packed in a T31 Mk41’s cells gives a max load of 128x VL Spear3 plus 16x NSM and and 32x CAMM which probably negates the need for NGS. Two T31s configured...

RFA Stirling Castle now commencing trials. Great news that conversion done so quickly.

Looking at BAE, HMS Glasgow is in the water being fitted out whilst the next 3* T26 frigates are under construction, including HMS London, the first of the T26 Batch 2s. HMS Birmingham actually, HMS London is the last of the class. Babcock has only cut steel on 2 T31. Thanks for correcting my poor ...

OPV’s and Frigates being built alongside each other ? Presumably the first of any new OPV being started whilst the last of the T31 frigates being finished. Looking at BAE, HMS Glasgow is in the water being fitted out whilst the next 3* T26 frigates are under construction, including HMS London, the ...

.. continue. Option-A: - Take time to implement "24 CAMM" on the port side of the 32-cell Mk.41 VLS. Apply this modification to hull 4 and 5. - For a moment, build hull-1,2,3 with 24 CAMM using the 32-cell Mk.41 VLS area. As RNZN Te Kaha hosts 20 CAMM in the same surface area reserved for...

France to join Aukus! https://www.navalnews.com/naval-news/2023/04/france-joins-aukus-submarine-program/ Oh god no, massive mistake. I don't see a single thing the French could contribute here, their small boats are a totally different beast. They will delay, procrastinate on every detail and be ge...

Why do you think the RN chose Arrowhead rather than an overgrown OPV from BAE. It was always the plan to build up the escort fleet. You seem to be the one late to the party. Not at all. Before the Mk41 announcement the T31 was a flag waving, frigate sized liability in a peer on peer conflict. Only ...

...Add say 8*NSM Canisters, as they get transferred across from the retiring T23's, then T31 COULD be very capable ASuW escorts. As now T31 has larger number of VLS cells than T26, why not locate these NSMs on T26, not T31? The original thought was that the more expensive warfighting T26 was going ...