UK Military News, Reports, Data, etc.

Jura said:

noticed
Brimstone missile trials on Typhoon complete successfully

November 3, 2017

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A flight-test campaign involving nine live firings of MBDA's Brimstone air-to-surface missile from the Eurofighter Typhoon has been completed in the UK, with the combination on track to enter operational use with the Royal Air Force by March 2019.

Conducted from BAE Systems' Warton site in Lancashire from July 2017, the activity also included nine jettison trials, the UK company says. It performed the testing in co-operation with MBDA, Qinetiq and the UK Ministry of Defence, with support also coming from Eurofighter consortium partners Airbus Defence & Space and Leonardo.

"The aim of the trials was to provide weapons integration clearance for operational use," says BAE. "They covered a range of specific release scenarios, testing at various heights, speeds, levels of g-force and in different positions on the aircraft wing and in the launcher.

"Further flight trials will take place in early 2018, followed by operational evaluation by the RAF" from the middle of the year, the company adds.

The Brimstone's addition forms part of a Phase 3 Enhancement (P3E) package for the service. Under an activity called Project Centurion, it is preparing to field the strike weapons with the Typhoon before its last Panavia Tornado GR4s are retired from use in the first quarter of 2019.

An earlier series of P2E updates will introduce MBDA's Meteor beyond-visual-range air-to-air missile and Storm Shadow cruise missile to the UK's Typhoons. Operational evaluation by the RAF's 41 Sqn is continuing at its Coningsby base in Lincolnshire, including live firings.

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Jura said:

now noticed the article

BAE and Cammell Laird join forces to bid for 'budget' frigates contract
18 October 2017

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right away saying

"BAE Systems is seeking to defend its virtual monopoly on Royal Navy shipbuilding by teaming up with the commercial player Cammell Laird to bid to construct new "budget" frigates."

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Babcock and BMT have signed a cooperation agreement that outlines the principles of a strategic relationship that will see the companies collaborate to support the design, build, construction and support of future classes of surface ships for the U.K. Ministry of Defence (MoD) and other international projects, BMT said in a Nov 7 release.

The initial focus will be cooperation on the recently announced Type31e program and the ability to offer a world-leading U.K. design alliance solution to the MoD.

The new arrangement draws on the combined strengths of Babcock and BMT and will deliver innovative, capable, affordable and flexible customer solutions, within a fast changing and increasingly demanding environment. Both organizations will jointly explore their available designs to determine the best possible option that meets the cost, capability, and delivery requirements of the Royal Navy.

“Babcock and BMT will work closely together to create a strong design alliance at what is an exciting time within U.K. and international ship design and build,” said Craig Lockhart, managing director, Naval Marine at Babcock.

“This is the beginning of a deeper strategic relationship with Babcock founded on many years of working together successfully both with the Royal Navy and navies around the globe,” said Jeremy Berwick, managing director for Defence at BMT. “The T31e program is the catalyst where excellence of design, innovation and certainty of delivery combine to offer a highly credible contender for the Royal Navy's next warship. The agreement will provide a strong basis for understanding and serving the different needs of many other navies.”

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Jura said:

... now (dated 25 September 2017) Babcock, BMT team as start gun fires for Type 31e programme

... and the rest is behind paywall at Jane's

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Jura said:

Oct 18, 2017
while now
Babcock, BMT Sign Cooperation Agreement to Develop Future Surface Ships
Posted: November 7, 2017

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OK but Sep 26, 2017

LOL it's getting complicated

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As interest in fifth-generation fighters builds in the UAE, a top Royal Air Force officer explained at the show how the Eurofighter Typhoon is already demonstrating how a non-stealthy fighter can integrate with the Lockheed Martin F-35 in contested airspace.

The Typhoon is already equipped to send and receive data with the F-35s on Link 16, a NATO-standard datalink. But Link-16 uses an omnidirectional antenna that is not compatible with the radio – Harris's Multi-function Advanced Data Link (MADL) – that the F-35 uses to communicate with other F-35s while in stealth mode inside contested airspace.

But the Typhoon has already demonstrated the capability to transmit and receive data with the F-35 in training flights and exercises in the USA, says Air Vice-Marshall Gerry Mayhew, air officer commanding for the RAF’s No 1 Group.

“This is not something we’re dreaming of. This is something we’re doing,” Mayhew says. “We’re already operating fourth- and fifth-gen fighters in exercises in training. This is also using new systems as well as the Link 16 systems.”

Asked to elaborate on the new systems that allow the Typhoon to transmit and receive data with F-35s flying in communications stealth mode, Mayhew declined, saying he could not talk about the technology.

But the public record offers clues about the solution that is referred to by Mayhew. Last February, Northrop Grumman announced that the RAF held an event in the Mojave desert in California called Exercise High Rider.

The exercise included an demonstration called Babel Fish III. An F-35 transmitted data from MADL to a Northrop-designed airborne gateway system, which translated the message into a waveform that could be interpreted by the Link 16 radio on board an RAF GR.4 Tornado.

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asif iqbal said:

SSBN are very expensive units no short cuts im afraid

There is £10 billion contingentcy in the programme and inflation adjust over the life of the programme

Also remember these units are gigantic

The actual cost of the 4 submarines on their own is around £11 billion

Over 17,000 a unit that's almost 70,000 ton of submarine

Astute class is 50,000 ton of submarine so not bad in that case

But now add in Trident D5 life extension just the missile not warhead
Now add in warhead refurbishment
Then infrastructure
And running cost consumes 6% of entire defence budget

Remember these are moving nuclear reactors carrying nuclear missiles the down time is ultra expensive when they return from sea and go into turn around

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asif iqbal said:

SSBN are very expensive units no short cuts im afraid

There is £10 billion contingentcy in the programme and inflation adjust over the life of the programme

Also remember these units are gigantic

The actual cost of the 4 submarines on their own is around £11 billion

Over 17,000 a unit that's almost 70,000 ton of submarine

Astute class is 50,000 ton of submarine so not bad in that case

But now add in Trident D5 life extension just the missile not warhead
Now add in warhead refurbishment
Then infrastructure
And running cost consumes 6% of entire defence budget

Remember these are moving nuclear reactors carrying nuclear missiles the down time is ultra expensive when they return from sea and go into turn around

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Jura said:

refurbished for tens of millions of pounds, so it's time to scrap her
HMS Ocean to be decommissioned in 2018, MoD announces

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...

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The Turkish government is interested in buying the soon-to-be-decommissioned UK helicopter carrier HMS Ocean if it is not sold to Brazil.

In a reply to a parliamentary question, the UK defense ministry confirmed that Turkey sent an expression of interest to UK about the potential sale of HMS Ocean.

HMS Ocean is currently on her final deployment as a commissioned Royal Navy ship, serving the role of NATO Standing Maritime Group 2 flagship in the Mediterranean.

HMS Ocean and her crew are expected to return their homeport at Naval Base Plymouth in December after starting their deployment in March this year.

Commissioned in October 1995, the 202-meter long HMS Ocean replaced HMS Bulwark as fleet flagship in June 2015. In her role as a helicopter carrier and amphibious assault ship, Ocean is designed to deliver troops by helicopter or by landing craft.

After her decommissioning was announced, Brazilian media reports rumored the HMS Ocean could be sold to the Brazilian Navy for a “reasonable price”. That price, according to reports, is £80 million pounds.


Second helicopter carrier for Turkey

Turkey is already building a landing helicopter dock which is based on the Spanish Navy’s (LHD) Juan Carlos I and designed by Navantia. The Turkish version of the ship will be named TCG Anadolu and have the pennant number L-408.

First steel on the ship, which will be registered as a light aircraft carrier by the Turkish Lloyd, was cut in May 2016 while delivery is scheduled for 2021.

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