The problem as I see it is that industry can't second guess what the government wants. MoD has an appetite for bespoke even when it tries to buy off the shelf. Why spends your own money making a prototype if the MoD either dismisses it or wants to take it back to square one? You then try to recoup y...

It's the inconsistency in MoD procurement that really makes the UK a tough place to do business. Constant shift between UK, or on-shore products and then switching back to fast and/or cheapest option. All the current MIV options would probably be cheaper if procured directly from their established, ...

When you are up front (Recce's role) the danger of being ambushed by an ATGW team that have heard you coming is substantial; to force them out or at least to force them take cover can greatly be assisted by having an indirect fire option, in addition to your more powerful autocannon (direct fire = ...

So when are we ordering these Canberra class then?

arfah wrote:Future long range bomber to be known as the B21 "Raider"

http://www.defensenews.com/articles/its ... -21-bomber

Is it future long range bomber, or existing top-secret long range bomber we don't currently know about?

#OneStepAhead

Yes, yes we have. See Talbot-Rice http://www.miltechmag.com/2015/01/iav-xv-2015-uk-mod-identifies-dual-role.html?m=1 You seem to be neglecting the fact the RWS will be equipped with some quite capable optics. The Kongsberg defender has been used quite widely in the British Army so I'd hope it's been...

Second adding an extra meter or so to the height of the vehicle does nothing for your ability to avoid detection. What's needed is a low profile mount or a system where its normally stowed below turret height and only raised when required. But the RWS is for the peacetime variant where being visibl...

@RunningStrong If I get your meaning correctly, no the gunners sight is not the same as the main observation sight and if you want to engage a target with something less than CTA 40 you have your coax mg. As in Thales Orion and Thales DNGS T3? There's still an awful large gap between 7.62 and 40 CT...

One of the main tasks of a peace keeping force is surely observation. Keeping a check on all sides to ensure their are no violations of agreements etc. wouldn't you want your main observation kit for that? Wouldn't you also want to be able to engage targets quickly and proportionally without poppin...

Anyway, the out of service dates given by the army this far are simply mental. Foxhound gone in 2024 while Panther stays until 2037...? How can they possibly explain that, among all pearls? Foxhound was a UOR and wouldn't have been qualified to the same rigours as normally expected, which in Land i...

MRV-P should eventually replace the less-armored pieces: Husky, Panther. But even if this becomes the plan (and i really hope it does, the army cannot continue to plan on a patchwork of so many vehicle types, it is a nightmare), it will take years to sort out the mess. Whole heartedly agree. But wi...

Similar style to what Rheinmetal showed their Leopard development vehicle dressed in recently. Interesting.

I'd hardly say that costing 2-3x the unit cost of JLTV, plus increased spares costs, is a minor price to pay for a UK-manufactured vehicle. You have the exact unit prices for an unreleased deal? I wouldn't give numerical estimates until we know. . I've seen RoMs, yes. I think you're completely over...

At the cost of killing off one of only two remaining British vehicle projects left. This decision pretty much kills Foxhound to be a 400 run only vehicle. Christ, it's aching to think that the Supacat Extenda might be the last British AFV for a long long time now. It's the only one that's surviving...

Foxhound unit costs are just way too high. And that's before you get a 6x6. Agreed. But has it been costed with good old steel/ aluminium construction (instead of composites now extensively used)? - we could get an automotively identical fleet, with different performance (and unit cost) levels But ...

RetroSicotte wrote:What a great purchase, the UK has never had a nicely armoured, mine protected 4x4 jeep vehicle in service in large numbers that could be simply expanded using UK manufactur-

Oh wait.

Foxhound unit costs are just way too high. And that's before you get a 6x6.

I don't know how anyone can make the argument for putting a soldier in harm's way on top cover when the RWS is a reasonably affordable and proven alternative. They don't all need ATGW or laser designation. And uncooked TI and optics is all that's required. No? Situational awareness, covering multip...

If you have a few £100,000 spare, maybe? Plenty of the UOR vehicles don't have RWS, just ring mounts and PWS. There are undoubtedly advantages to RWS and ATGW mounts, but are they worth upping the cost of every vehicle? I don't know how anyone can make the argument for putting a soldier in harm's w...

With the MIV it needs to be as cheap as is possible. I agree with this, but how does this: All would have an RWS, usually with a GPMG or 40mm AGL. support that concept? RWS are pricey compared to manually operated protected weapon stations. And RWS is the one piece of kit you should be spending mon...

I agree that going unmanned does provide an issue for the vehicle commander, and it certainty flies in the face of current British doctrine. However, the US Stryker lethality upgrade uses the Kongsberg medium calibre RWS which is unmanned. And the Russians have gone the same way. I can't see a manne...

The Kongsberg Defender RWS will already take a GMG, GPMG and HMG. I'd be surprised if it wasn't a requirement by MoD.

Nexter already do an unmanned CTA turret with reportedly zero hull intrusion. That would be an interesting fit on MIV.

I'd be surprised if MoD get anything particularly effective as there seems to be a complete lack of appetite for systems that miss the man-in-the-loop. You'd would have hoped that 10 years of RPGs might have changed that.

Looks like Rheinmetall have gone for the high-risk option of making modifications to the turret structure. I think that MoD might be a bit put off the risk involved in this after the sting from LMs modifications to the WCSP turret. On the other hand, if the limitations of the L30 gun are one-tenth ...

More from Army Recognition, with an image from Rheinmetall: http://i.imgur.com/AHJlIQa.jpg Ben Hudson, Head of Rheinmetall’s Vehicle Systems Division, said “Our team has put together an innovative proposal to solve not only the obsolescence issues of the Challenger 2 but to also cost effectively en...

http://www.generaldynamics.uk.com/news/smswildcat General Dynamics Mission Systems–UK has been awarded a contract by Leonardo Helicopters (previously AgustaWestland Limited) to update the Stores Management Systems (SMS) aboard Royal Navy Wildcat helicopters. The SMS update will introduce new functio...