UK Defence Forum

Ron5 wrote:Photoshop by the look of it. Unfortunately.

For now, hopefully

Wrong Roundels gives it away, though fingers crossed for future developments.

Maybe Short Crusader after the 1927 race plane

" I’m very conscious that the reason we bought the F-35Bs was to pair them up with our two carriers, HMS Queen Elizabeth and HMS Prince of Wales. [The carriers] are going to be in service until the late 2060s, at least. And so I need a fleet of aircraft that is going to last into that sort of time frame. So I’m taking a very steady view to how I build a fleet up because I need these aircraft to last for that amount of time."
Is that the first time that this has been said officially?
4 sqdrns? Easy... 4 x 8 + OCU+ some in deep maintenance (as long as that 'some' does not become most of them being sent back to the factory, taking turns, to make them actually capable of all the things foreseen for them)

I’d of thought (3x9 and a ocu ) 4 sqns would be best for long term sustainability.

But for all the exhausted talk of f35 it is the aircraft this thread is about LANCA that could have the most transformative change and what should get the most attention, getting it into service and working with typhoon opens up so many possibilities.

SW1 wrote:I’d of thought (3x9 and a ocu ) 4 sqns would be best for long term sustainability.

But for all the exhausted talk of f35 it is the aircraft this thread is about LANCA that could have the most transformative change and what should get the most attention, getting it into service and working with typhoon opens up so many possibilities.

Working with f-35s from the carriers would have the most global impact of course.

PS not sure why you guys are off in the weeds with your mini-squadrons.

Applying the most rudimentary cross-checks between various statements, may be?

What I forgot from my post was that getting LANCA into use 10-ish years before Tempest is a great way to derisk (and shape) the air combat system for which Tempest will be at the heart of it

Team Mosquito/Mod Lanca update :-

https://www.defenseadvancement.com/news ... ign=buffer

jonas wrote:Team Mosquito/Mod Lanca update :-

https://www.defenseadvancement.com/news ... ign=buffer

All of that reads so beautifully; can (all of) it be true

Came across this statement whilst looking for something else...

An interesting graphic from today's airpower and space event.



Clearly showing Tempest, the previous LANCA graphic and a far larger looking (presumably) unmanned aircraft with a substantial weapons bay.

It is hard to gauge the size of the platform. The weapon in the bay, is it the size of Brimstone, or SPEAR 3, or something larger. Without that it could be any size of platform. I like the idea though.

I think it's a really bad drawing of an F-35.

Ron5 wrote:I think it's a really bad drawing of an F-35.

It would require a great degree of skill to depict an F-35 so poorly! The only current platform featured is Voyager. [Edit: refuelling two F-35s I believe].

The rear end has a resemblance to the X-32 and the Yak-141, presumably without the rotating rear nozzle for V/STOL.

I've yet to see an official depiction of the Boeing Australia Loyal Wingman's underside. However this below fan art (?) seems remarkably close to whatever was included.

Lord Jim wrote:It is hard to gauge the size of the platform. The weapon in the bay, is it the size of Brimstone, or SPEAR 3, or something larger. Without that it could be any size of platform. I like the idea though.

Definitely a tough one to guage. My instinct was some variant of Paveway but it's a fairly generic looking munition that could be anything from a Harpoon or RBS-15 to an AMRAAM.

Continuing from my above theory, the more I stare at the roundels the more I see a little kangaroo in there...

[Edit: see above]

So the RAF poster doesn't show F-35 in its future. Quel suprise

Ron5 wrote:So the RAF poster doesn't show F-35 in its future. Quel suprise

Yes it does. 2 at the back by the tanker.

Dahedd wrote:

Ron5 wrote:So the RAF poster doesn't show F-35 in its future. Quel suprise

Yes it does. 2 at the back by the tanker.

You have sharper eyes than me. Although I did think the F-35's were refueled by the carriers

Ron5 wrote:I did think the F-35's were refueled by the carriers

I don't think we'll be having flying carriers by the 2030's

Aviation Week's defence editor has been inside the famous Plant 42 today, and shared this:



Full size (worth zooming, there's at least three different UCAVs on show in the background):


Seems a revised or different design to what we've seen before:

In what way is it a candidate for the RAF? I don't think the winner of the RAF competition included these folks and the RAF prototype is being built in Northern Ireland by Spirit.

Ron5 wrote:In what way is it a candidate for the RAF? I don't think the winner of the RAF competition included these folks and the RAF prototype is being built in Northern Ireland by Spirit.

At first, I was similarly puzzled. However, I believe Northrop Grumman UK is also part of the winning 'Team Mosquito', so that is presumably the link to Scaled Composites (who don't directly have a UK presence).

Goes a long way to explain where Spirit, who didn't inherit much design capability from their UK or global acquisitions, is getting help from.

Also, there has been no mention of Callen-Lenz being part of that team for for a long time, so that design expertise would have to come from somewhere else.

Jensy wrote:Goes a long way to explain where Spirit, who didn't inherit much design capability from their UK or global acquisitions, is getting help from.

That will be news to the several hundred design/technical engineering staff they have in belfast, who were responsible for the a220 wing and centre fuse and a number of other projects besides. As a site including manufacturing there is 3000 in belfast not to mention there facilities in Prestwick.

You’ll hear more on mosquito next week.

SW1 wrote:You’ll hear more on mosquito next week.

That sounds promising!! Getting ready for first flight I hope.

Ron5 wrote:

SW1 wrote:You’ll hear more on mosquito next week.

That sounds promising!! Getting ready for first flight I hope.

Haha not that far on.