You use T1 solely for UK air defence/QRA which then releases later tranches for their swing role use.

Sounds very sensible to me

Well Mr Ambassador - go f*** yourself and your depraved, terribly backwards nation along with you. As for respecting your laws and customs, you can shove that where the sun don't shine as well if said customs happen to be horribly out of touch vestiges of a medieval mentality propped up way past it...

its not a "new" aircraft but would like to have seen an updated Buccaneer with new Nav attack system updated radar and avionics possibly updated engines. There was rumours of the Nav/attack system from the Jaguar being put in to them. A Buccaneer with EJ200s, modern avionics and weapon sy...

Except when it comes up against a modern IADS. Pourquoi? Seriously why? The Buccaneer has a proven ability to fly fast and low. By the time you stick a reasonable amount of weapons on the F35 it's lost much of it's stealth. Modern engines on the Buccaneer would give better range and speed (possibly...

its not a "new" aircraft but would like to have seen an updated Buccaneer with new Nav attack system updated radar and avionics possibly updated engines. There was rumours of the Nav/attack system from the Jaguar being put in to them. A Buccaneer with EJ200s, modern avionics and weapon sy...

These powerful new subs should have strong names. How about the Admiral class....HMS Hood, HMS Nelson, HMS Rodney, and HMS Barham? It's about time another Hood sailed the ocean. I'm sure one of our close allies might get their noses out of joint about some of the names though! Like it Jay, great id...

Gabriele That's why i say we need to learn if it includes support costs and other elements other than design and procurement. And i hope to all gods that it does. Because otherwise it is ridiculously overpriced. If it doesn't then we should bloody well scrap the T26 and get H&W, Swan or whoever ...

I agree with your statements, its a sorry mess at the moment. Typhoons are 87 million each, The f35 around about the same. Bearing in mind the country is in a mess financially, with billions spent on foreign aid etc, plus the cuts in defence budget there is a problem. We desperately need planes tha...

Personally I'd restrict our F35 purchase to what we need for the carriers, and instead buy a whole bunch of Gripens so at least we have some numbers, some availability, some affordability and some capability! Typhoons for A2A with a secondary A2G role and Gripens t'other way round! If we were really...

TSR2 and Arrow............................what a team for the RAF

seaspear wrote:A guideline of gdp percentage is an inflexible planning measure for long term budgeting, leaving long term planning at the whims of economic flatulence

Just like everything else......................................................so what?

I do hope so....................I really don't want a gilt-edged solution where can only afford a limited number of planes

Beautiful aircraft, just beautiful

I've gone for: C17 x 10 Chinook x 60 A400m x 22 A330 x 14 BAE 147 x 4 C295 x 15 Typhoon x 107 Gripen x 50 F35 B x 8 Reaper x 20 E-3D Sentry x 6 Total Procurement Costs =£3300 m Add 2 to the C17 fleet, C295s for MPA and Gripens (preferably with EJ200s) to try and nudge our FJ numbers in the right dir...

P-8, just like Nimrod, could still drop inflatable rafts as a first long-range SAR capability, even without the ramp. There are kits that can be dropped from the weapons bay, so i wouldn't call that relevant. Rafts can be dropped by C-130s and eventually will be a capability of A400M too, being a l...

The smaller Airbus C295 is a 2nd tier solution You assert that the C295 is a second tier solution, and yet I'm not sure where the evidence is. Is there evidence that it's sensor suite is inferior to the P8, or is in someway not up to the job? What about the US version of the P8 not having a MAD, or...

I'd really like some SSBKs rather than the Vanguards...........................any chance?!

The smaller Airbus C295 is a 2nd tier solution You assert that the C295 is a second tier solution, and yet I'm not sure where the evidence is. Is there evidence that it's sensor suite is inferior to the P8, or is in someway not up to the job? What about the US version of the P8 not having a MAD, or...

What a hoot! I went for: Fleet Builder Total Operational Costs£1195 m Total Procurement Costs£27934 m Fleet Report Asture Class x8 Unit cost=747 Total cost=5976 Unit ops=27 Total ops=216 Vanguard Class x3 Unit cost=1500 Total cost=4500 Unit ops=35 Total ops=105 Type 212 x8 Unit cost=300 Total cost=2...

So basically what you're saying is that we have to buy an off the shelf solution right now, so the only things that get funded are what's currently available off the shelf, which means that in 20 years' time we're in the same situation. That's the defence industry driving capabilities rather than s...

Be nice not to decommission them when the T26's come along, but use them as some sort of semi-active reserve operating in home and near waters whilst our front-line ships are wandering the globe.