Current & Future Escorts - General Discussion

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Repulse
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Re: Current & Future Escorts - General Discussion

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SW1 wrote: 08 Jan 2022, 21:01 Why should the escorts be on a rule of 3 if the carrier, it’s air wing and the support vessels are not?
It's a good challenge, and one we've had before but from what I've read the rule of 3 is where we've ended up.

The fact seems to be even with four RN escorts there would still probably be a requirement for 2 additional ones from allies.

I would say a pool of 12 makes sense because:
- It gives it level of robustness to cope with losses either in action or due to mechanical failure / accidents.
- It would allow both CSGs to be surged at a reasonable level of notice.
- It gives an option to up the number of RN escorts if allied escorts aren't available or if the CSG is escorting other HVUs such as Army transports.
”We have no eternal allies, and we have no perpetual enemies. Our interests are eternal and perpetual, and those interests it is our duty to follow." - Lord Palmerston

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Re: Current & Future Escorts - General Discussion

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If the balloon goes up the available CSG will be the priority for the available escorts over all other tasks. This could well mean that a number of escorts are kept in port whenever both carriers are along side, reserved for when one of the latter sails. The Navy may aspire to operating both carriers at the same time, and can possibly do so in peace time, but not in wartime without substantial help from our allies, and even them its Air Group will be very ad hoc with possibly one squadron of FAA/RAF F-35s along with FAA Merlins and Wildcats. The USMC may be able to provide additional F-35s but we should also develop a closer relationship with the Italian Navy and Air Force with their F-25Bs cross decking to one of our Carriers possibly.

SO in a nutshell the generation of a single viable CSG must be the Nay's second most important task after CASD and it should develop its plans accordingly.
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Re: Current & Future Escorts - General Discussion

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Sounds like the same reasoning we used to hear for years on why you can’t double crew frigates resisted with excuses like crews won’t look after ships ect despite ssbns doing it since the beginning. Now the former 1st sea lord says Montrose is the most available escort in the fleet.

It’s hard to “surge” 2 carriers when you have only 1 air wing and 1 solid stores ship.

There isnt any robustness in any other areas of defence its all at minimums probably even less than with personal shortages.

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Re: Current & Future Escorts - General Discussion

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SW1 wrote: 09 Jan 2022, 10:04 It’s hard to “surge” 2 carriers when you have only 1 air wing and 1 solid stores ship.

There isnt any robustness in any other areas of defence its all at minimums probably even less than with personal shortages.
I can't argue with that logic based on the current picture, however the direction of travel is clear in that there are planned 3 FSSs and multiple F35B air wings (with 70-80 a/c). We need to work on this basis as we look at the future fleet.
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Re: Current & Future Escorts - General Discussion

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SW1 wrote: 09 Jan 2022, 10:04 Sounds like the same reasoning we used to hear for years on why you can’t double crew frigates resisted with excuses like crews won’t look after ships ect despite ssbns doing it since the beginning. Now the former 1st sea lord says Montrose is the most available escort in the fleet.

It’s hard to “surge” 2 carriers when you have only 1 air wing and 1 solid stores ship.

There isnt any robustness in any other areas of defence its all at minimums probably even less than with personal shortages.
The first point is we have the two carriers and they are manned allowing both to put to sea if needed. With only one SSS and half a air-wing at this time we need help as I have said before the carrier groups need to do every thing together when a carrier is at sea the hole group is at sea when a carrier is under going maintenance the hole group is doing the same. At this time we can only deploy 1 carrier group this being said if the shit hit the fan I am sure NATO could build a carrier group around the second carrier and this is important and should be trained for this in its self would be a show of force by NATO

also the rule of 3 has been out the window for sometime now for many years we have deployed 3 type 45 a year with the other 3 in maintenance or laid up i.e 50/50

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Re: Current & Future Escorts - General Discussion

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Repulse wrote: 09 Jan 2022, 10:47
SW1 wrote: 09 Jan 2022, 10:04 It’s hard to “surge” 2 carriers when you have only 1 air wing and 1 solid stores ship.

There isnt any robustness in any other areas of defence its all at minimums probably even less than with personal shortages.
I can't argue with that logic based on the current picture, however the direction of travel is clear in that there are planned 3 FSSs and multiple F35B air wings (with 70-80 a/c). We need to work on this basis as we look at the future fleet.
And the Merlin part of the multiple air wings comes from where?

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Re: Current & Future Escorts - General Discussion

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SW1 wrote: 09 Jan 2022, 10:52 And the Merlin part of the multiple air wings comes from where?
Depends which role you are talk about, for example a plans for a replacement AEW system have already been announced.
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Re: Current & Future Escorts - General Discussion

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Tempest414 wrote: 09 Jan 2022, 10:48 the rule of 3 has been out the window for sometime now for many years we have deployed 3 type 45 a year with the other 3 in maintenance or laid up i.e 50/50
It’s not deployed in a year though is it, it’s the number deployed on active service at the same time throughout the year. I’d also argue that the escort fleet is being run on a high (and unstainable) tempo currently. Somethings, like forward basing can push the dial but we are far from being able to deliver a 2:1 ratio consistently in both peace and war.
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Re: Current & Future Escorts - General Discussion

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donald_of_tokyo wrote: 08 Jan 2022, 14:00 On ASW point of view, these XLUUV and ASW-USVs (like ARCIMS-ASW "SEASENSE"), coupled with recovery-gear like PALFINGER will make a good comparison.

XLUUV:
https://ukdefencejournal.org.uk/royal-n ... submarine/

ARCIMS ASW "SEASENSE"


recovery gear "PALFINGER"
So looking at the second video of the Palfinger system if type 32 was a type 31 with this system under the flight deck meaning it could carry 2 x 11m USV's in the stern and 4 x 9.5m ribs in the boat bays it would be a good ship

Also do we know if that babcock ship in the video is in the offing looking at its basics it could carry 2 x 11m USV's from the stern 2 x ribs from boat bays a Wildcat in a hangar plus be armed with a 57mm up front and 40mm on the hangar roof making a nice ship

which brings back to if there was 2 billion for type 32 should we go for 3 x type 31 with the stern system and 4 of this other new ship

or was this the first glimpse of Babcock's type 32

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Re: Current & Future Escorts - General Discussion

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Repulse wrote: 09 Jan 2022, 11:03
Tempest414 wrote: 09 Jan 2022, 10:48 the rule of 3 has been out the window for sometime now for many years we have deployed 3 type 45 a year with the other 3 in maintenance or laid up i.e 50/50
It’s not deployed in a year though is it, it’s the number deployed on active service at the same time throughout the year. I’d also argue that the escort fleet is being run on a high (and unstainable) tempo currently. Somethings, like forward basing can push the dial but we are far from being able to deliver a 2:1 ratio consistently in both peace and war.
The point is we have had 3 type 45's fit for deployment and the other 3 in deep maintenance or laid up in a given year meaning 50% of the fleet can go to sea as seen fit like this year when 2 were deployed with the CSG and one was deployed on local operation like missile tests and joint warrior

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Re: Current & Future Escorts - General Discussion

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As with so may things within the MoD we lack the capacity to utilise our capabilities effectively. The Def Sec has been going on about increasing the days at sea each warship will undertake as a means of dealing with the increased commitments the RN has whilst not having the ships necessary under normal usage rates. This is another short term fis that will come home to bite the RN in the arse as its ships are worked far harder than planning assumption thought they would, requiring long and more expensive maintenance when in port, which in turn will reduce the funding available for other programmes as well as reducing the service life of said warships and so on. What I really have issue with is that our warships are stretched too thin in peace time how will the RN manage in a conflict where the opposition could actually sink one or more of our ships God forbid! In naval warfare, more than land or air, you fight with what you have with little possibility of replacement assets. We do have a spare Carrier but I doubt we would have the air wing for it. The F-35 Squadrons we will have will only be enough to maintain a single Carrier Wing as well as training, maintenance and attrition reserve. The RAF will also want a number available for its use until TEMPEST begins to arrive, as until there is a policy change, they have a need for the aircraft as well.

I will go as far as to say that the MoD and all three services have the decade they are saying they need to restructure themselves and receive the necessary planes, ships and tank. If the needed assets are not in place after this gap or if there are any further reduction in conventional capabilities, the Armed Services will have dropped below their critical mass and will no longer be a viable fighting force.
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Re: Current & Future Escorts - General Discussion

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Tempest414 wrote: 09 Jan 2022, 11:25 The point is we have had 3 type 45's fit for deployment and the other 3 in deep maintenance or laid up in a given year meaning 50% of the fleet can go to sea as seen fit like this year when 2 were deployed with the CSG and one was deployed on local operation like missile tests and joint warrior
What about training and redundancy? The point of the rule of three is that for every ship deployed there is another in training / working up, and another in maintenance or on trails. You could argue that with newer kit, more efficient maintenance processes, crew rotation and increased use of simulators you could get close to "1 deployed : 2.5 total", but given this is a critical warfighting capability, the need at times to escort other HVUs and requirements to regularly perform significant weapon and system upgrades I for one would not feel comfortable to move away from the 1:3 ratio.
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Re: Current & Future Escorts - General Discussion

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The T45s are as good an example as any, as to why you need the 3 to 1 rule to apply.

Following the problems with power generation and even with the work around partial solution, full availability has not been seen for many years. Hopefully the PIP will solve these problems, but it will not be until towards the end of the decade that all six will have received the upgrade.

Secondly the up-arming of the same six vessels is not scheduled to be complete until 2032/3 and the timescales are not short for this upgrade.

On top of this is normal routine maintenance.


Two are required for a CSG escort. So six are needed to provide those two. However, we have two carriers, so potentially need another two active at 30 days notice as well.

The problems with HMS Diamond on CSG21 also show the folly of insufficient numbers.

SW1 asks about the comparison with only two Carriers ? ……….. He is correct to a point, but perhaps not in the way he would have wished. Having only the two Carriers is a strategic mistake, which hopefully will not catch us out. A mistake it is though, none the less.

Politicians liked the “Peace Dividend”. It made things easy for them! However as I have consistently said ever since the Peace Dividend defence cuts were first mooted. The world was becoming a MORE dangerous place, not a LESS dangerous one.

Now our Politicians have to face up to the fact that they have “egg on their faces” and must put right the defence (and related) wrongs of the last 30+ years. Hopefully our defence “professionals” will be successful in convincing them of this. :mrgreen:
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Re: Current & Future Escorts - General Discussion

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This is all very good but changes nothing not a thing we need the type 45's capable of deploying with the carriers i.e we 2 dedicated to QE and 2 dedicated to POW at any one time the other two will be in deep maintenance or upgrade and for this to work it means when the carrier is at sea its escorts are at sea and when the carrier is under maintenance its escorts are under maintenance and the carriers escorts can not and should not be used for anything else as the deployment of the carriers is key.

Now if we can only generate 3 type 45's at this time we should dedicate two to QE and one POW and be asking the Danish navy to dedicate a IH class or the US a AB class . But the rule of 3 dose not and can not work with type 45 for the rule of 3 to work we would need 12 type 45's as we need to generate 4 at anytime

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Re: Current & Future Escorts - General Discussion

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Tempest414 wrote: 10 Jan 2022, 09:55 Now if we can only generate 3 type 45's at this time we should dedicate two to QE and one POW and be asking the Danish navy to dedicate a IH class or the US a AB class . But the rule of 3 dose not and can not work with type 45 for the rule of 3 to work we would need 12 type 45's as we need to generate 4 at anytime
Having both QE & PoW on active deployment (not training) will be an extreme circumstance, where you will be forgoing training and other supporting tasks for a (short) period of time. It's tight but allocating four of the six T45s would be possible. Again, as mentioned elsewhere we should have three CVFs to ensure one is always available, but for obvious budgeting reasons that is not possible.
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Re: Current & Future Escorts - General Discussion

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Repulse wrote: 10 Jan 2022, 11:10
Tempest414 wrote: 10 Jan 2022, 09:55 Now if we can only generate 3 type 45's at this time we should dedicate two to QE and one POW and be asking the Danish navy to dedicate a IH class or the US a AB class . But the rule of 3 dose not and can not work with type 45 for the rule of 3 to work we would need 12 type 45's as we need to generate 4 at anytime
Having both QE & PoW on active deployment (not training) will be an extreme circumstance, where you will be forgoing training and other supporting tasks for a (short) period of time. It's tight but allocating four of the six T45s would be possible. Again, as mentioned elsewhere we should have three CVFs to ensure one is always available, but for obvious budgeting reasons that is not possible.
No one carrier group will be deployed active the other will be under maintenance , training or at 30 days notice but this dose not change the fact that what ever a carrier is doing its escorts should be doing the same

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Re: Current & Future Escorts - General Discussion

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Where is the Area Air Defence for the LRGs and Troop Transports supposed to come from? Oh, I know! Of course, it will be plucked out of the sky! We NEED more than Six T45s. Not ordering hulls 7 & 8 as the irreducible minimum, was another act of sheer folly. :mrgreen:
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Re: Current & Future Escorts - General Discussion

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Scimitar54 wrote: 10 Jan 2022, 15:20 Where is the Area Air Defence for the LRGs and Troop Transports supposed to come from? Oh, I know! Of course, it will be plucked out of the sky! We NEED more than Six T45s. Not ordering hulls 7 & 8 as the irreducible minimum, was another act of sheer folly. :mrgreen:
Agree, but history is history, I just hope for 8+ T83s… until then anything sailing with a significant air threat will need to be escorted by a CSG.
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Re: Current & Future Escorts - General Discussion

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Why would you be committing a Littoral response group on its own to a threat requiring area air defence?

It merges with the carrier group for higher end operations or so the literature says..

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Re: Current & Future Escorts - General Discussion

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SW1 wrote: 10 Jan 2022, 19:49 Why would you be committing a Littoral response group on its own to a threat requiring area air defence?

It merges with the carrier group for higher end operations or so the literature says..
It does, but it’s not an optimal solution, the same as a CVF is not a good LPH, you want the CSG to be independent and able to stay away from the Littoral zone.
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Re: Current & Future Escorts - General Discussion

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Repulse wrote: 10 Jan 2022, 20:58
SW1 wrote: 10 Jan 2022, 19:49 Why would you be committing a Littoral response group on its own to a threat requiring area air defence?

It merges with the carrier group for higher end operations or so the literature says..
It does, but it’s not an optimal solution, the same as a CVF is not a good LPH, you want the CSG to be independent and able to stay away from the Littoral zone.
Shouldn’t of build cvf then…

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Re: Current & Future Escorts - General Discussion

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SW1 wrote: 10 Jan 2022, 21:00
Repulse wrote: 10 Jan 2022, 20:58
SW1 wrote: 10 Jan 2022, 19:49 Why would you be committing a Littoral response group on its own to a threat requiring area air defence?

It merges with the carrier group for higher end operations or so the literature says..
It does, but it’s not an optimal solution, the same as a CVF is not a good LPH, you want the CSG to be independent and able to stay away from the Littoral zone.
Shouldn’t of build cvf then…
Shouldn’t of repeatedly cut the defence budget after commuting to building CVFs, from around 3% of gdp when first starting the project to less than 2% by the same metric now.
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Re: Current & Future Escorts - General Discussion

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Jake1992 wrote: 10 Jan 2022, 22:09
SW1 wrote: 10 Jan 2022, 21:00
Repulse wrote: 10 Jan 2022, 20:58
SW1 wrote: 10 Jan 2022, 19:49 Why would you be committing a Littoral response group on its own to a threat requiring area air defence?

It merges with the carrier group for higher end operations or so the literature says..
It does, but it’s not an optimal solution, the same as a CVF is not a good LPH, you want the CSG to be independent and able to stay away from the Littoral zone.
Shouldn’t of build cvf then…
Shouldn’t of repeatedly cut the defence budget after commuting to building CVFs, from around 3% of gdp when first starting the project to less than 2% by the same metric now.
Committed to build 2 40K tonne vessels for 2.75b pounds with an inservice date of 2012 ooops.

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Re: Current & Future Escorts - General Discussion

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SW1 wrote: 10 Jan 2022, 22:25
Jake1992 wrote: 10 Jan 2022, 22:09
SW1 wrote: 10 Jan 2022, 21:00
Repulse wrote: 10 Jan 2022, 20:58
SW1 wrote: 10 Jan 2022, 19:49 Why would you be committing a Littoral response group on its own to a threat requiring area air defence?

It merges with the carrier group for higher end operations or so the literature says..
It does, but it’s not an optimal solution, the same as a CVF is not a good LPH, you want the CSG to be independent and able to stay away from the Littoral zone.
Shouldn’t of build cvf then…
Shouldn’t of repeatedly cut the defence budget after commuting to building CVFs, from around 3% of gdp when first starting the project to less than 2% by the same metric now.
Committed to build 2 40K tonne vessels for 2.75b pounds with an inservice date of 2012 ooops.
The budget could afford 2 70k carriers and all that’s included at the time of commitment they then repeatedly cut the defence budget and added over £1bn to the cost buy artificial slow build and flip flopping on CATs
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Re: Current & Future Escorts - General Discussion

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Scimitar54 wrote: 10 Jan 2022, 15:20 Where is the Area Air Defence for the LRGs and Troop Transports supposed to come from? Oh, I know! Of course, it will be plucked out of the sky! We NEED more than Six T45s. Not ordering hulls 7 & 8 as the irreducible minimum, was another act of sheer folly. :mrgreen:
I would ask the same question as to the ASW cover with only 8 Type 26 with 4 needed for the CSG and 2 for TAPS.

As said right now it comes from the CSG however it could be sorted with type 32 if it was a full IH class fitted with the Palfinger system under the flight deck for 2 or 3 x 11m ASW/MCM USV's plus 2 9.5m ribs from boat bays and armed with 1 x 127mm , 2 x 40mm , 48 VLS to allow for 64 CAMM + 64 CAMM ER + 16 cells for other weapons

2 of these ships would be able to give local area air defence over 100 km , NGFS out to 90 km plus littoral ASW and MCM cover
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