Fantastic image of Wave Knight.

SW1 wrote:I wonder if expectations are finally meeting realities.

Are you suggesting that HRAS was gold plating

I would like to know how much money will actually be saved by deleting HRAS, especially if BMT have to go back to the drawing board with the whole concept.

ArmChairCivvy wrote:They can borrow from the Verity design: full size Merlin hangar, and the crane arm above the doors (when the crane is not in use)

Or the full Karel Doorman? Is the aviation capacity increasing because the HRAS is being dropped?

So the story about ship-internal cargo handling being impossible to upgrade for HRAS was made up? It's too early to say, just one source at the moment, albeit a very good and normally reliable one. Maybe the ambition has changed. by buying more; they come as complete kits, for loading... AT LEAST y...

Progress!

HRAS capability has been deleted Is this the first time that the deletion of HRAS has been reported? First I have heard of it. Seems strange as the QE's already have HRAS rigs fitted. ....the whole point of the Future Solid Support Ship is to get HRAS to sea. That is what it's supposed to be about....

....oh look it’s a British company doing the work just happens to be their doing it in Spain” Could you say the same thing about BAE in Australia or Canada? Foreign involvement doesn't necessarily mean metal bashing in Italy or Spain. Now that the FSS are designated as Warships it's going to be ver...

I know these are not simple vessels like the Tides but if we can’t build them for £500m each in the UK then something is very wrong How many yards in the UK currently have the fabrication experience or management expertise to successfully build a class of 40,000t SSS vessels? The short answer is no...

I guess a confirmation of 3 ships instead of 2 is at least good news. I suspect the foreign involvement is crucial to getting the 3 hulls within the specified budget envelope. Adding foreign expertise is a good idea but these vessels should be built in British yards, anything less and HMG will end ...

Lord Jim wrote:securing a Multi year settlement is crucial to the MoD beginning to get things right.

How many times has this can been kicked down the road now?

Time to be decisive and end the procrastination.

HMG needs to commit to continued investment now and capitalise on the momentum.

Nothing really new here but good news nonetheless.

FSS competition to restart in the spring of 2021 and the winner will be a UK led bidder.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/20 ... lt-uk-led/

No sign of Bob.

Is this his first? The others having been used to bring Boris onto the stage with positive messages... like reopening a ship yard Exactly, all we have had so far is hot air and spin. The decisions to build the T26's and T31's were made long before the PM or DS were in post. Its time HMG transitione...

Is this a new designation for the LSD's?

Using amphibious support ship RFA Lyme Bay as their base,

https://www.royalnavy.mod.uk/news-and-l ... r-training

Tempest414 wrote:I would add one to the Albion class capable of holding 3 Merlin's

I am surprised this hasn't been done for this deployment. Maybe it will happen in future.

If the flight deck on the Albions was reconfigured similar to the San Antonio's then a permanent hanger could be added.

I’d say yes, one WoS and another EoS with the last in refit / ready to sail from the UK. What’s more we have virtually everything we need now to do it. The whole concept of the LSG isn't clear to me yet, if fact I don't think it's clear to RN or RM yet either. Whatever the LSG ends up being it will...

...embarking onto build prgrms We should make the most of what we have rather than flog it off the south American countries for a song. The Prevail conversion was a £100m project. £200m spent on the Bays and Albion's and providing new kit for the FCS would be a few better use of funds IMO. ...impro...

....we could have 3 ready global LRGs which are as capable as anything outside of the US and probably China. Do we need three? The challenge is aviation capability, but even of a Wave class was added to each of the 2 LPD based LRGs, then with some mods on the LSDs and flight capability from the esc...

Maybe we should be taking more of a Swedish approach.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.telegr ... rease/amp/

Minor issue but prepare for the headlines!

https://www.portsmouth.co.uk/news/defen ... od-3005579

inch wrote:what the lessons the usmc took away from it and what they think of lizzy

We might get to hear about that.

An excellent overview of the UK CSG participating in Exercise Joint Warrior.

https://www.savetheroyalnavy.org/hms-qu ... t-warrior/

....range has nothing to do with how much the crew eats. It's 100% the size of the tanks.... Range and Endurance are intertwined but technically they are separate entities. Adding the extra crew will have an impact regardless but without the full facts I don't think it's worth arguing over. Persona...

think there is some game playing going on by the RN/ MOD here. Maybe but here are a couple of other plausible possibilities. Firstly, RN and RFA vessels are quoted with maximum SUSTAINED speed figures. This is very different to the maximum speed figures quoted by other navies. Second, the endurance...