UK Military News, Reports, Data, etc.

UK Gazelle helicopters to have lives extended until 2025

The British Army’s Westland Gazelle AH.1 observation and utility helicopters are to remain in service for another nine years, according to the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD).

This extension will take the Gazelle past its 50th anniversary in UK military service in 1971 and make it the oldest helicopters in active UK inventory.

Details of the extension emerged after the MoD confirmed to

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on 22 July that it is to run a new competition for all elements of the helicopter’s in-service support, in time for new contracts to be in place to be re-let by March 2018

The new contracts to keep the veteran helicopters in UK Army Air Corps (AAC) service will run from 2018 to 2025.

The AAC currently operates a fleet of 34 Gazelles spread between a flight in Canada supporting the Suffield training site, manned aerial surveillance tasks with 5 Regiment AAC at Aldergrove airport in Northern Ireland, and special forces support at RAF Odiham in Hampshire. Training takes place at the Army Aviation Centre at Middle Wallop in Hampshire.

According to data released by the MoD in March, some 15 Gazelle were routinely undergoing maintenance and 19 in daily use.

Depth maintenance support and overhauls are currently provided by Cobham Aviation Services and Airbus Helicopters have a contract to provide post-design services (PDS) and logistic support for Gazelle. Leonardo Helicopters (formerly AgustaWestland) also provide PDS support for the UK-specific parts of the aircraft and Safran Helicopters provide PDS and logistic support to the engine.

SA 341B (Westland Gazelle AH.1) Version built for the British Army; Featured the Astazou IIIN2 engine, capable of operating a nightsun searchlight, later fitted with radio location via ARC 340 radio and modified to fire 68mm SNEB rockets.

First Westland-assembled version flown on 31 January 1972, this variant entered service on 6 July 1974. A total of 158 were produced. A small number were also operated by the Fleet Air Arm in support of the Royal Marines.

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Human error expected to be cause of submarine's crash

Naval sources told the Evening Mail that initial reports based on photographs showing the damage suggested Ambush will not dive until at least a temporary fix is implemented. They added that the boat will not be able, or permitted, to dive if her sonar systems are damaged.

A former submariner who served in the Royal Navy for a number of years, told the Evening Mail it was a "hugely embarrassing" incident for the MoD and that it was highly unlikely to be anything other than human error.


"It won't be a mechanical or system error, it will be human error," the former submariner said.

Submarines operate a number of systems and procedures to prevent collisions and detection, including both active and passive sonar. A number of systems and alerts are in place to allow operators to detect nearby objects in extraordinary detail, ranging from other vessels to a shoal of fish.

When a submarine is surfacing, the boat will usually first rise to periscope depth, which is below the level at which any other vessel could be positioned. The periscope will then be used to ascertain the water above and around the vicinity of the submarine.

Additionally, all vessels belonging to countries which are part of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) are required to report their position to a central 'sea traffic control' to avoid such incidents.

However, regardless of who was specifically to blame for the collision, in failing to detect and avoid the tanker, it is likely the sub's captain who will shoulder the blame.

"The buck will stop with the captain unless it was perhaps a case of gross negligence on the part of the operator," the submariner, who served on three Barrow-built boats, told the Evening Mail.

"The operator may not get that promotion he was after but he won't be sacked so to speak. The captain will be held responsible."

In a statement, the MoD said: "The submarine suffered some external damage but there is absolutely no damage to her nuclear plant and no member of the ship’s company was injured in the incident."

A spokesperson from BAE Systems Submarines in Barrow said: "We are aware of the incident involving HMS Ambush. We are in contact with the Royal Navy and stand ready to assist as required."

Wednesday's embarrassing incident isn't the first time an Astute-class submarine has been involved in a collision.

First in class HMS Astute ran aground off the coast of Skye in October 2010 while undergoing a boat transfer during sea trials just two months after being handed over to the Royal Navy.

A subsequent investigation found the main cause of the boat’s grounding was “non adherence to correct procedures for the planning and execution of the navigation combined with a significant lack of appreciation by the officer of the watch of the proximity of danger”.

Astute's commander Andy Coles, 47, was later removed from command of the vessel.

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asif iqbal said:

Ultimately the captain is responsible...

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Weapons were unloaded from the Royal Navy submarine HMS Ambush yesterday.

The Gibraltar Port Authority had put in place a 200m maritime exclusion zone while the delicate operation was conducted over two days.

The nuclear powered submarine remains berthed alongside the South Mole following a collision with a merchant ship last week.

It sustained external damage to its conning tower but there was no impact on its nuclear reactor and the vessel is safe, according to the Ministry of Defence.

Royal Navy technicians are assessing the damage and have yet to decide whether the vessel will be repaired here or elsewhere.

A Royal Navy spokesman told the UK’s Press Association: “Some external damage was sustained by the submarine, and the extent is being investigated.”

“We are not prepared to give specific details, but the submarine is absolutely safe.”

“Comprehensive checks of HMS Ambush have shown that her reactor remains completely safe and there hasn’t been any increase in radiation as a result of this incident.”

The submarine will leave Gibraltar “as soon as the current work package is complete”.

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Jeff Head said:

Asif, when you cross the bridge, can you now clearly see both QE carriers?

If you can, one day, get us a pic!

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July 28, 2016

The Ministry of Defence have signed a £183 million contract for a five inch gun system the Royal Navy’s new Type 26 Frigate fleet.

The Maritime Indirect Fire System (MIFS) will be integrated onto the Type 26 Global Combat Ships, currently being designed by BAE Systems. MIFS includes the 5-inch, 62-calibre Mark 45 Naval Gun System, which is already in service with other NATO nations, including the US and Spanish navies.

The gun mount features an automatic loader with a capacity of 20 rounds. These can be fired under full automatic control, taking a little over a minute to exhaust those rounds at maximum fire rate. For sustained use, the gun mount would be occupied by a six-man crew (gun captain, panel operator, and four ammunition loaders) below deck to keep the gun continuously supplied with ammunition.

Minister for Defence Procurement Harriett Baldwin said:

“Our growing defence budget means we can invest in a cutting edge weapon system for the Royal Navy’s next generation Global Combat Ship at the best value for taxpayers. Along with sustaining highly skilled jobs across the country, this new contract underlines our commitment and demonstrates continued momentum in the programme.”

The new contract covers the design and manufacture of the first three guns for the first three ships in the class, as well as a training system and ammunition, and will sustain 43 skilled UK jobs.

BAE Systems, Weapon Systems and Munitions, based in the US, will lead on the work to bring the weapons system into service, with subcontractor work being undertaken by:

• BAE Maritime Services Frimley & Broad Oak to develop, supply and integrate MIFS gunfire control;
• BAE Munitions Glascoed, which is carrying out the UK ammunition qualification and;
• BAE Weapons Systems Barrow, which is supporting the UK equipment safety cases.

Deliveries of the gun to the UK are expected to begin in 2020.

Joe Senftle, Vice President and General Manager of Weapon Systems at BAE Systems, said:

“Our teams in the US and UK will bring unrivalled skills and expertise to the MIFS development and production. The world-leading Mk 45 will provide the Royal Navy with a proven, reliable, and highly-effective system that is adaptable to firing a wide range of today’s ammunition, as well as future, precision-guided munitions currently in development.”

The Mk 45 is in service with the US Navy and 10 other allied nations. More than 240 Mk 45 guns have been delivered into service globally.

Despite alarming headlines, the Type 26 frigates have not been cancelled or “indefinitely postponed”, work is continuing at all levels of the programme.

Manufacturing of the Type 26s was initially expected to start in 2016, confirmation of when the work will begin has still to be announced but we’re told that it’s anticipated that the steel will be cut for the first Type 26 in Q4 of 2017.

Unions have also insisted that there will be no redundancies as a result of uncertainty over the Type 26 build timetable on the Clyde.

Duncan McPhee from Unite said the contract was still guaranteed.

“There is guarantees. The main issue is the timetable, which is causing us the real problems and that has to be sorted out as soon as possible.”

Mr McPhee also added that BAE bosses were in negotiations with officials at the MoD to resolve the timetable issues:

“It means for jobs that we have the workforce geared up for this programme and that workforce will remain. It means that we are going to have to do a lot of things between the company and moving different work packages about, keeping people at Rosyth maybe for longer working on the aircraft carriers, maybe having to transfer people down to Barrow for the submarine programme so we will keep the jobs.”

A MoD spokesperson said:

“The Government is committed to building ships on the Clyde and to the Type 26 programme. over the next decade, we will spend around £8 billion on Royal Navy warship.

As set out in the Strategic Defence and Security Review, we will build two new offshore patrol vessels on the Clyde, maintaining Scottish shipbuilding capability ahead of the start of the Type 26 build.

We will also consult with industry and trade unions as part of the national shipbuilding strategy, which will set the UK shipbuilding industry on a sustainable footing for the future.”

The SNP and others had said that any reduction in the number of Type 26 frigates being built on the Clyde would be a “betrayal” of the workforce.

The original plan for the class had been 8 anti-submarine warfare variants and five general purpose variants, this remains largely unchanged except for the specification of the later five vessels, which has been reduced to make them more affordable.

The later five are now designated the Type 31 frigate.

The Prime Minister has confirmed that all new frigates and additional vessels mentioned in the defence review will be built in Scotland.

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