shark bait wrote:If the MCM kit is designed properly it should be able to operate from any ship in the RN's fleet.
In the future fleet there is no shortage of expensive platforms to deploy the work-boats from, however it is lacking is a cheap hull to enable the base load of simple mine clearance tasks. The Hunt/Sandown replacement should be the pickup truck of the Navy to fulfill the simple tasks without costing too much. For more demanding roles any other vessel of opportunity could be used, such as a Frigate or LPD.
Unfortunately Donalds option will make everything too expensive.
Thanks, reasonable comment I agree. But, I do not think T31 nor T45 will be able to carry any of the high-end MCM-drones to come. (*1)
So, it will be only
- some T26 frigates (8 may come, but very late, 2036 or even later)
- 5 River B2 OPV
-
1+1 LPD and 3 LSD
- 2 Echo class Survey vessel
(- 3 River B1, but only if added with good crane)
Among them, T26 will be used only in very demanding cases (as we need to pull out her from CSG to do MCM). So, may be the 5 River B2s and 2 Echo-class will be the main mother ships?
By the way, my original comment comes from the fear that RN/RFA amphibious force may "shrink". Not to "save" MHC, but to save LPD/LSDs.
What if it is "2 LPD-R and 3 LSD-R" (shrunken in number) to replace
BOTH amphibious force (1+1 LPD and 3 LSD) AND MCMV force (12 Sandown/Hunt)? In other words, adding MCM tasks to LSDs will save their number? In place leaving MHC absorbed in River B2 (low end) and T26 (high-end).
I guess, MHC (MCMV replacement) and LPD/LSD replacement might be mixed up.
Both are littoral. Both now needs to deploy boats. At least, they will need to wait for the testing results, which will start soon with Atlas and Thales MCM drones.
- Is a 1500-2000t class MHC "large enough" to be used as MCM drones mother ships for coming 30 years future? Or a ~3000t class needed?
- How distant can MCM drones operate from mother ship? Can a LCU equipped with control container be a liaison for 2 or 4 MCM drones?
- Can a civilian PSV be "comfortable enough" for RN to use them for MCM tasks? (I fear not).
- How much a MCM drone mother ship (other than T26) shall be armed?
All these issues are important, when considering MCMV replacements.
*1: Low-end MCM drones are just REMUS pod = autonomous side-scan sonar, and they can be carried even on a RHIB.