Search found 155 matches

by JohnM
01 Nov 2021, 13:59
Forum: Royal Navy
Topic: Astute Class Attack Submarine (SSN) (RN)
Replies: 846
Views: 301032
United States of America

Re: Astute Class Attack Submarine (SSN) (RN)

Why would Australia not want Virginia's VLS? I read somewhere, but for the life of me can’t remember where, that they look at the subs essentially as defensive and interdiction tools and don’t want to up the overall temperature in the region even more by adding land attack capability, but I may be ...
by JohnM
01 Nov 2021, 13:32
Forum: Royal Navy
Topic: Astute Class Attack Submarine (SSN) (RN)
Replies: 846
Views: 301032
United States of America

Re: Astute Class Attack Submarine (SSN) (RN)

Why would Australia not want Virginia's VLS? I read somewhere, but for the life of me can’t remember where, that they look at the subs essentially as defensive and interdiction tools and don’t want to up the overall temperature in the region even more by adding land attack capability, but I may be ...
by JohnM
01 Nov 2021, 12:45
Forum: Royal Navy
Topic: Astute Class Attack Submarine (SSN) (RN)
Replies: 846
Views: 301032
United States of America

Re: Astute Class Attack Submarine (SSN) (RN)

... this is essentially a security deal between Australia and the US. Totally agree. Technically, most likely the Aussies witll a short Virginia, I.e., minus the VLS. You mean Block IV boats? Very likely. Probably Block V, which is the current and most up-to-date block, minus the 6 VPM… they’ll end...
by JohnM
01 Nov 2021, 11:34
Forum: Royal Navy
Topic: Astute Class Attack Submarine (SSN) (RN)
Replies: 846
Views: 301032
United States of America

Re: Astute Class Attack Submarine (SSN) (RN)

Do people really, and I mean really, think the US is going to let the lion’s share of the deal, I.e., building the actual subs, go to the UK? What reality do you people live in? Politically it’s unthinkable… remember how AUKUS came about and you’ll realize the U.K. was the middleman… in fact, once c...
by JohnM
27 Oct 2021, 17:35
Forum: Royal Navy
Topic: Current & Future Escorts - General Discussion
Replies: 19147
Views: 7056363
United States of America

Re: Current & Future Escorts - General Discussion

Repulse wrote:JohnM, agree the RN is doing a good job in a difficult circumstance. I just hope the government realises soon that the world has moved away from the “peaceful” years earlier in this century to a situation where the threat level is extreme and real war fighting capabilities are required.
Agree 100%
by JohnM
27 Oct 2021, 17:25
Forum: Royal Navy
Topic: Current & Future Escorts - General Discussion
Replies: 19147
Views: 7056363
United States of America

Re: Current & Future Escorts - General Discussion

whereas vs a B2 it would be a massacre Completely agree, and I would never try. The point is that I believe the B2 ticks the forward engagement/constabulary role at the right cost, leaving money to build properly equipped warships (not FFBNW) that can be part of the fighting force. There isn’t a mi...
by JohnM
27 Oct 2021, 17:11
Forum: Royal Navy
Topic: Current & Future Escorts - General Discussion
Replies: 19147
Views: 7056363
United States of America

Re: Current & Future Escorts - General Discussion

JohnM , sorry but you are making some bold and wild statements there. I get there will be MCM PODS, but that is not “fighty”, what you are asking for are containerised SSMs and SAMs, none of which are planned nor funded. What will you cancel to pay for these? Plus once you’ve added on the cost, how...
by JohnM
27 Oct 2021, 16:55
Forum: Royal Navy
Topic: Current & Future Escorts - General Discussion
Replies: 19147
Views: 7056363
United States of America

Re: Current & Future Escorts - General Discussion

Seems to be two schools of thought: Pessimists that think the T31 sucks because of what it will be at service entry and ... ... optimists that think the Type 31 is wonderful because of what it may become. I’m in a third “Confused” bucket - I still don’t understand what requirement it is trying to f...
by JohnM
27 Oct 2021, 16:44
Forum: Royal Navy
Topic: Current & Future Escorts - General Discussion
Replies: 19147
Views: 7056363
United States of America

Re: Current & Future Escorts - General Discussion

It’s very simple… while the B2s can perform the same constabulary and show-the-flag missions in peacetime, they cannot be up-armed into a proper “fighty” frigate if things heat up… a properly FFBNW T31 can, very rapidly in fact, like I pointed out. As to the all the unmanned kit, it’s coming in for...
by JohnM
27 Oct 2021, 12:13
Forum: Royal Navy
Topic: Current & Future Escorts - General Discussion
Replies: 19147
Views: 7056363
United States of America

Re: Current & Future Escorts - General Discussion

However, on this one, the T31 in general is that it will not be cheap. It will have twice the crew, the more complex it is the more complex it is to forward base, and all these FFBNW modules will need to be purchased, maintained and crewed (and this increases as our expectation of availability of t...
by JohnM
27 Oct 2021, 03:26
Forum: Royal Navy
Topic: Current & Future Escorts - General Discussion
Replies: 19147
Views: 7056363
United States of America

Re: Current & Future Escorts - General Discussion

I know this is a minority opinion on here, but I love the T31, provided the right FFBNW capabilities are installed... if the CAMM load is at least 24 and a decent EW and countermeasures suite is installed, all that's needed is to integrate whatever the I-SSGW ends up being in the Tacticos CMS and yo...
by JohnM
27 Oct 2021, 03:10
Forum: Royal Navy
Topic: Current & Future Escorts - General Discussion
Replies: 19147
Views: 7056363
United States of America

Re: Current & Future Escorts - General Discussion

On the issue of lack of AAW capability has ESSM/ESSM Blk2 been integrated into Artisan? I think most of the Mk-41 VLS load on T26 will be VL and FC/ASW (especially the land attack version, since there will be a canister based solution for the AShM because of the MN and that could be installed on T26...
by JohnM
21 Oct 2021, 20:51
Forum: Royal Navy
Topic: Current & Future Escorts - General Discussion
Replies: 19147
Views: 7056363
United States of America

Re: Current & Future Escorts - General Discussion

There's nothing "lite" about an ASW T26, certainly not financially... the reason T26 is so expensive is because it's the cat's meow for ASW, or so we're told... A T26 "lite" would have to ditch most of the ASW kit... we've been told that T32 will be a mothership for unmanned syst...
by JohnM
21 Oct 2021, 20:16
Forum: Royal Navy
Topic: Current & Future Escorts - General Discussion
Replies: 19147
Views: 7056363
United States of America

Re: Current & Future Escorts - General Discussion

My money is still on a slightly modified T31, with the 24 mm CAMM silos replacing the forward 40 mm gun (they fit there, as shown in recent videos), thus allowing for a full width mission bay amidships, like in the T26. I can also see other stuff like having a 127 mm gun for NGFS in place of the T31...
by JohnM
26 Sep 2021, 15:21
Forum: Royal Navy
Topic: Type 31 Frigate (Inspiration Class) [News Only]
Replies: 8469
Views: 2142449
United States of America

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

No, they won’t, that’s not what I was saying… they’re not going into the T31s… I was answering your statement that they were going to the T26s… Batch 1 will get the new sonars, Batch 2 will probably get 5 of the 8 existing sets and in the end there will be 3 sets left over… I find it more likely the...
by JohnM
24 Sep 2021, 15:37
Forum: Royal Navy
Topic: Type 31 Frigate (Inspiration Class) [News Only]
Replies: 8469
Views: 2142449
United States of America

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

As said a hundred time if T-31 were to get 24 CAMM , 8 x SSGW , Hull sonar and a good decoy fit they would be a very good global patrol frigate Couldn’t agree more… and I think they eventually will… a lot of that (decoys, SSM) can cascade down from the T23s as they decommission and a basic sonar is...
by JohnM
24 Sep 2021, 12:09
Forum: Royal Navy
Topic: Type 31 Frigate (Inspiration Class) [News Only]
Replies: 8469
Views: 2142449
United States of America

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

Couldn’t agree more… and I think they eventually will… a lot of that (decoys, SSM) can cascade down from the T23s as they decommission and a basic sonar is cheap (the T45 one is less than £5M a pop)…
by JohnM
21 Sep 2021, 20:47
Forum: Royal Navy
Topic: RN anti-ship missiles
Replies: 1030
Views: 242139
United States of America

Re: RN anti-ship missiles

I was being facetious... :roll: Although no one else in Europe is really backing them on AUKUS, so I wouldn't put it totally beyond the realm of possibility that given the differences in requirements between the MN and RN they decided to go it alone...
by JohnM
21 Sep 2021, 20:22
Forum: Royal Navy
Topic: RN anti-ship missiles
Replies: 1030
Views: 242139
United States of America

Re: RN anti-ship missiles

by JohnM
21 Sep 2021, 13:03
Forum: Royal Navy
Topic: Type 31 Frigate (Inspiration Class) [News Only]
Replies: 8469
Views: 2142449
United States of America

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

This just came out today and the second part sheds some light on the discussion we've been having here on possible benefits to the UK of the Indonesian AH140 order and what the IP situation is.

https://www.navylookout.com/small-warsh ... -scotland/
by JohnM
17 Sep 2021, 14:52
Forum: Royal Navy
Topic: Current & Future Escorts - General Discussion
Replies: 19147
Views: 7056363
United States of America

Re: Current & Future Escorts - General Discussion

Wholeheartedly agree… my money is on a shorter, cheaper Virginia, like the initial blocks, but with theBlock 5 tech.
by JohnM
17 Sep 2021, 14:49
Forum: Royal Navy
Topic: Type 31 Frigate (Inspiration Class) [News Only]
Replies: 8469
Views: 2142449
United States of America

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

Good catch… it looks like a 37 module SPY-6(V)1 like in the Flight III Burkes, but with 3 instead of 4 array faces… if true, it’s an incredible addition to the AH 140 design in the AAW arena…
by JohnM
17 Sep 2021, 14:05
Forum: Royal Navy
Topic: Type 26 Frigate (City Class) (RN) [News Only]
Replies: 5461
Views: 1464672
United States of America

Re: Type 26 Frigate (City Class) (RN) [News Only]

Lord Jim wrote:That doesn't look like a UK spec T-26. Why are BAe Systems and Babcock embarrassed to show the planned RN configuration vessels in addition to "What ifs", to entice exports?
What? It’s exactly the UK spec… 3x8 MK-41 silos and 4x6 Sea Ceptor upfront…
by JohnM
15 Sep 2021, 20:32
Forum: Royal Navy
Topic: Current & Future Escorts - General Discussion
Replies: 19147
Views: 7056363
United States of America

Re: Current & Future Escorts - General Discussion

Smells of T32… modular ASW, MCM and land attack capabilities…
by JohnM
15 Sep 2021, 17:47
Forum: Royal Navy
Topic: RN anti-ship missiles
Replies: 1030
Views: 242139
United States of America

Re: RN anti-ship missiles

I would change that last one to “Maybe”… easy integration into T26 could be seen by the French as a possible threat to FC/ASW and, as such, by politically DoA…