UK Military News, Reports, Data, etc.

Defence Minister Lord Drayson has awarded the first contract for the new equipment that will be fitted to the 65,000 tonne aircraft carriers MoD has announced it is to order.

The equipment, advanced Identification Friend or Foe electronics that will help protect the ships and their aircraft, is to be designed and manufactured by SELEX Communications. This contract, initially worth over £1M, was awarded following competition.

Lord Drayson, Minister of State for Defence Equipment and Support, said:

"Today's announcement is another milestone for the Future Aircraft Carrier programme. We plan to award further contracts for the production of equipment for these ships over the coming months as the shipyards begin their preparations for the start of construction work. Beyond this first equipment order, UK and France are cooperating closely in a number of key areas, and are exploring future joint procurement opportunities, notably for Power and Propulsion and some key aspects of the Mission System.

"This is a very exciting time for everybody in the MoD and in industry who are working on this project. We intend that the production of these ships will transform both the Royal Navy's capabilities and Britain's maritime industrial base over the coming years."

The IFF equipment ordered today will ensure that commanders on the new carriers will be able to distinguish between friendly and hostile aircraft in complex and stressing combat scenarios. The equipment will be delivered in time to be fitted to the ships before they go into service later in the next decade.

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Plymouth-based Royal Navy warship HMS Portland has seized more than three tonnes of cocaine in a drugs bust.

The ship was on patrol in the North Atlantic when one of her Lynx helicopters found a suspicious looking fishing vessel. As HMS Portland approached the crew were seen throwing packages over the side of the Venezuelan-registered boat. The vessel is now being escorted to Venezuela where the local authorities will take over.

Commanding Officer, Cdr Mike Utley said: "I'm delighted to have taken this amount of drugs out of circulation. This is the culmination of five months of hard work and dedication. This drugs bust is the icing on the cake for what has been an extremely successful deployment."

Type 23 frigate HMS Portland, which has been working closely with US coastguards, has made a number of boardings over the past five months, although this is the first time drugs have been seized. The crew of another vessel ditched 3.3 tonnes of cocaine before she was intercepted.

HMS Portland, which returns to Plymouth at Christmas, has also been involved in the relief effort in Belize following Hurricane Dean.

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Britain has launched Skynet 5B - the latest spacecraft in a sophisticated new military communications system. The satellite rode into orbit atop an Ariane 5 rocket from Europe's Kourou spaceport, in French Guiana.

Over the course of the next month, 5B will take up a position over the Indian Ocean and begin handling secure traffic for UK forces around the world. The £3.6bn Skynet 5 project is the UK's single biggest space venture, and is designed to operate until 2020.

The Ministry of Defence says the improved bandwidth performance on the 5A platform launched in March this year is already giving invaluable support to troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. A third satellite, known as 5C, is expected to be flown in May 2008. It will act as an in-orbit spare.

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lcortez said:

however would be nice if we could get our own launchers etc,so we could be fully independant should there be an Iraq style rift with Europe in any future conflict

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Also have a question re GB's nuclear detterant,is it FULLY independant of USA,or not?

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The Royal Navy's newest and most powerful Type 45 destroyer - Diamond - was launched today, Tuesday 27 November 2007, from BAE's shipyard at Govan, on the River Clyde.

Thousands of local people turned out for the launch, including many local schoolchildren. The Type 45 destroyers are the larger and more powerful replacement for the existing Type 42s. The destroyer will carry the world-leading PAAMS system (Principal Anti-Air Missile System) which is capable of defending a Type 45 and ships in its company from multiple attacks by the most sophisticated anti-ship missiles.

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Type 45 Diamond with Commander Paddy Munns who will be the senior Naval Officer responsible for Diamond
[Picture: Andrew Linnett]

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Type 45 Diamond is launched at at Govan, on the River Clyde
[Picture: Andrew Linnett]

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bd popeye said:

I'm happy for the RN as these vessels are delivered! I hope beyond hope that eventually the first batch will be built on time and maybe with a proven performance a second batch would be built!

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