Search found 1453 matches

by NickC
02 Jan 2024, 10:11
Forum: Royal Air Force
Topic: Eurofighter Typhoon (RAF)
Replies: 2837
Views: 778516
United Kingdom

Re: Eurofighter Typhoon (RAF)

EDR magazine December 14, 2023 – The Budget Committee of the German Bundestag has approved the purchase of new missiles for various weapon systems. Eurofighter armament: Meteor is to receive an update In order to maintain superiority in air combat into the 2040s, the Bundeswehr can also commission s...
by NickC
30 Dec 2023, 14:36
Forum: Royal Navy
Topic: Current & Future Escorts - General Discussion
Replies: 19401
Views: 9733404
United Kingdom

Re: Current & Future Escorts - General Discussion

Boxing Day US Central Command reporting on X the USS LABOON (DDG 58) and F/A-18 Super Hornets from the Eisenhower shot down twelve one-way attack drones, three anti-ship ballistic missiles, and two land attack cruise missiles in the Southern Red Sea that were fired by the Houthis. What is surprising...
by NickC
30 Dec 2023, 12:26
Forum: British Army
Topic: RBSL Challenger 3 (Future) Main Battle Tank (British Army)
Replies: 358
Views: 76680
United Kingdom

Re: RBSL Challenger 3 (Future) Main Battle Tank (British Army)

British Army conducts tests to provide new transmission for Challenger 3 tank. https://www.armyrecognition.com/defense_news_october_2023_global_security_army_industry/british_army_conducts_tests_on_challenger_2_mbt_for_upcoming_upgrades.html Any thoughts as to why new transmission is a state secret.
by NickC
27 Dec 2023, 12:44
Forum: British Army
Topic: Royal Artillery/Royal Horse Artillery future developments
Replies: 890
Views: 323602
United Kingdom

Re: Royal Artillery/Royal Horse Artillery future developments

FT recently reported MOD buying Japanese L15 155 mm HE shells to replace Army stock shipped to Ukraine, BAE has a production capacity shortfall to meet current high demand, mention MOD has also been buying L15 from Rheinmetall, BAE funded by MoD with £410 million July contract including funding for ...
by NickC
24 Dec 2023, 11:34
Forum: Royal Navy
Topic: Current & Future Escorts - General Discussion
Replies: 19401
Views: 9733404
United Kingdom

Re: Current & Future Escorts - General Discussion

I think the truth is in the middle we need to try and get the new destroyers down to a crew of 120 or so from the T-45's 190+ The Channel 5 2018 programme “Warship Life at Sea” on HMS Duncan in the Black Sea mentioned crew of approx. 300 if memory not wrong? The Iver Huitfeldt class run on crew of ...
by NickC
23 Dec 2023, 14:21
Forum: Royal Navy
Topic: Current & Future Escorts - General Discussion
Replies: 19401
Views: 9733404
United Kingdom

Re: Current & Future Escorts - General Discussion

I think the truth is in the middle we need to try and get the new destroyers down to a crew of 120 or so from the T-45's 190+ The Channel 5 2018 programme “Warship Life at Sea” on HMS Duncan in the Black Sea mentioned crew of approx. 300 if memory not wrong? The Iver Huitfeldt class run on crew of ...
by NickC
23 Dec 2023, 12:19
Forum: Royal Navy
Topic: Current & Future Escorts - General Discussion
Replies: 19401
Views: 9733404
United Kingdom

Re: Current & Future Escorts - General Discussion

I think the truth is in the middle we need to try and get the new destroyers down to a crew of 120 or so from the T-45's 190+ The Channel 5 2018 programme “Warship Life at Sea” on HMS Duncan in the Black Sea mentioned crew of approx. 300 if memory not wrong? The Iver Huitfeldt class run on crew of ...
by NickC
22 Dec 2023, 14:45
Forum: Royal Navy
Topic: Current & Future Escorts - General Discussion
Replies: 19401
Views: 9733404
United Kingdom

Re: Current & Future Escorts - General Discussion

I think the truth is in the middle we need to try and get the new destroyers down to a crew of 120 or so from the T-45's 190+ The Channel 5 2018 programme “Warship Life at Sea” on HMS Duncan in the Black Sea mentioned crew of approx. 300 if memory not wrong? The Iver Huitfeldt class run on crew of ...
by NickC
21 Dec 2023, 12:39
Forum: Royal Navy
Topic: Current & Future Escorts - General Discussion
Replies: 19401
Views: 9733404
United Kingdom

Re: Current & Future Escorts - General Discussion

One question is how would 4,000t T83 be able to take the top weight of a high end long range radar, the US Navy state that radar sensitivity scales as a cube of the size of the radar aperture e.g. the two new Japanese ASEV Aegis destroyers are said to be approx. 17,000t in part driven by need to mou...
by NickC
20 Dec 2023, 14:09
Forum: Royal Navy
Topic: Current & Future Escorts - General Discussion
Replies: 19401
Views: 9733404
United Kingdom

Re: Current & Future Escorts - General Discussion

Radar could be where we deviate, along the Aussie lines, ... Just a comment. SPY-7 is selected because it uses Fujitsu AESA node. Just a roumor, but may be true. Many thinks SPY-6 will be better considering the commonality with USN. Would note the Lockheed Martin SPY-7 is a AESA GaN dual-polarimetr...
by NickC
20 Dec 2023, 10:58
Forum: Royal Navy
Topic: Current & Future Escorts - General Discussion
Replies: 19401
Views: 9733404
United Kingdom

Re: Current & Future Escorts - General Discussion

Heck we haven't even fitted the 45s with CEC. Really do not understand why this isn’t a priority - it was part of argument by the Labour government why six T45s was ok. Thales Nederland going as far to say Collaborative Engagement Capabilities (CEC) is the future of Naval Warfare for them. CEC is a...
by NickC
19 Dec 2023, 14:05
Forum: Joint Service
Topic: F-35B Lightning (RAF & RN)
Replies: 6097
Views: 1764692
United Kingdom

Re: F-35B Lightning (RAF & RN)

F-35 PEO USAF Lt. Gen. Michael Schmidt warning Congress future upgrades at risk and a possible production shutdown due to concurrency problems with the TR-3/Block 4 upgrade intended to bring the F-35 up to FOC standard by ability to carry more weapons (incl. Meteor), better recognise targets, and im...
by NickC
17 Dec 2023, 10:41
Forum: Defence Elsewhere
Topic: Australian Defence Force
Replies: 2630
Views: 753344
United Kingdom

Re: Australian Defence Force

"ASC Shipbuilding (a BAE Systems Australia company) has contracted GEIE EUROTORP for the installation of the MU90 Torpedo Launch System (TLS) on board the first batch of three Hunter class frigates for the Royal Australian Navy (RAN)." https://www.navalnews.com/naval-news/2023/12/eurotorp...
by NickC
16 Dec 2023, 14:12
Forum: Defence Elsewhere
Topic: Australian Defence Force
Replies: 2630
Views: 753344
United Kingdom

Re: Australian Defence Force

"ASC Shipbuilding (a BAE Systems Australia company) has contracted GEIE EUROTORP for the installation of the MU90 Torpedo Launch System (TLS) on board the first batch of three Hunter class frigates for the Royal Australian Navy (RAN)." https://www.navalnews.com/naval-news/2023/12/eurotorp-...
by NickC
15 Dec 2023, 15:19
Forum: Royal Navy
Topic: Current & Future Escorts - General Discussion
Replies: 19401
Views: 9733404
United Kingdom

Re: Current & Future Escorts - General Discussion

Good comment. 57mm bofors muzzle speed is Mach 3.5. Of course it will slow down. But for near engagement, the high speed helps a lot. Also 57 mm gun provides 220 round per min (including ALaMo already fielded). There appears a massive amount of hype/misunderstanding talked about the Bofors 57mm wit...
by NickC
12 Dec 2023, 16:26
Forum: Royal Navy
Topic: Type 31 Frigate (Inspiration Class) [News Only]
Replies: 8490
Views: 2198062
United Kingdom

Re: Type 31 Frigate (Inspiration Class) [News Only]

The T31 gunnery felt at bit underwhelming when first announced, however the T31 now seems to have the most useable arrangement of guns in the Royal Navy. Not sure it's worth spending the money on the T23's, but the T45's deserve modern guns. Definitely would say T31 gunnery is underwhelming. The US...
by NickC
11 Dec 2023, 12:35
Forum: Royal Navy
Topic: Current & Future Escorts - General Discussion
Replies: 19401
Views: 9733404
United Kingdom

Re: Current & Future Escorts - General Discussion

Indeed, speaking as someone who has long been of the opinion that the T26 could be a good basis for the T83 The T26 is far too an expensive platform to form the for basis of a T83 if you want to fund more than a token number. So you know what the T83 budget is? Maybe this is the point at which I no...
by NickC
11 Dec 2023, 09:56
Forum: Royal Navy
Topic: Current & Future Escorts - General Discussion
Replies: 19401
Views: 9733404
United Kingdom

Re: Current & Future Escorts - General Discussion

Caribbean wrote: 10 Dec 2023, 23:10 Indeed, speaking as someone who has long been of the opinion that the T26 could be a good basis for the T83
The T26 is far too an expensive platform to form the for basis of a T83 if you want to fund more than a token number.
by NickC
05 Dec 2023, 13:27
Forum: General Discussion
Topic: General UK Defence Discussion
Replies: 1936
Views: 254487
United Kingdom

Re: General UK Defence Discussion

DARC At the second AUKUS Defence Ministers’ Meeting in California, PR 2nd Dec., it was stated that Australia, the United States and United Kingdom will collaborate on the Deep-space Advanced Radar Capability, DARC. Each of the three sites would house the bi-static radar, four to six parabolic anten...
by NickC
15 Nov 2023, 13:56
Forum: Royal Navy
Topic: Type 31 Frigate (Inspiration Class) [News Only]
Replies: 8490
Views: 2198062
United Kingdom

Re: Type 31 Frigate (Inspiration Class) [News Only]

Be good if it could take a couple of LMM or Starstreak! Would not disagree but EW is soft kill vs guns and missiles which are hard kill, have seen it said soft kill has been more effective to date in defending ships than hard kill. Re MEWP Increment 2 & 3 have seen no info on what EW capability...
by NickC
15 Nov 2023, 11:38
Forum: Royal Navy
Topic: Type 31 Frigate (Inspiration Class) [News Only]
Replies: 8490
Views: 2198062
United Kingdom

Re: Type 31 Frigate (Inspiration Class) [News Only]

DE&S press release reporting the critical design review (CDR) for the Maritime Electronic Warfare System Integrated Capability (MEWSIC) Increment 1A has been approved, can now proceed into manufacture, testing and acceptance. The £100 million, 13-year contract awarded in 2021 to Babcock with Elb...
by NickC
11 Nov 2023, 15:41
Forum: Defence Elsewhere
Topic: Australian Defence Force
Replies: 2630
Views: 753344
United Kingdom

Re: Australian Defence Force

Craig Lockhart of BAE Systems Australia "Lockhart conceded that adding the missiles will force them “to change aspects of our propulsion system,” which would “move it away from being ASW primary role to being destroyer-variant primary role.” At first glance it does not appear changing from T26 ...
by NickC
10 Nov 2023, 14:46
Forum: Royal Air Force
Topic: General Atomics MQ-9 Reaper/Protector (UCAV) (RAF)
Replies: 289
Views: 141934
United Kingdom

Re: General Atomics MQ-9 Reaper/Protector (UCAV) (RAF)

Nov 8, Houthis Shoot Down U.S. MQ-9 Reaper Over Red Sea

If the Houthis are able to take down a Reaper its battleworthiness looks very limited if not non-existent.

https://news.usni.org/2023/11/08/houthi ... ore-106846
by NickC
10 Nov 2023, 12:49
Forum: Defence Elsewhere
Topic: Israel
Replies: 143
Views: 15560
United Kingdom

Re: Israel

For the first time the Arrow 3 System (Germany recently placed a near 4 billion Euro contract in September for Arrow 3 System) intercepted a SRBM over the Red Sea and a F-35 shot down a cruise missile, presuming Iranian missiles fired by the Houthis from Yemen, a done also alleged to be fired from Y...
by NickC
10 Nov 2023, 11:18
Forum: Defence Elsewhere
Topic: Australian Defence Force
Replies: 2630
Views: 753344
United Kingdom

Re: Australian Defence Force

The November 7 "The Australian" view on the Hunter, some quotes Cancellation "It has been suggested that last year’s DSR thought that the entire Hunter project be scrapped but the government was scared to do anything that drastic and has instead passed the buck. The fact that minister...