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Jura The idiot

Jura The idiot

General
Jan 13, 2018
Jura said:
Jan 3, 2018
now according to Jane's Brazil-UK move closer to HMS Ocean deal
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and MoD sells Royal Navy flagship HMS Ocean to Brazil for £84m
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The Ministry of Defence has sold the Royal Navy flagship, HMS Ocean, to Brazil for around £84m, in a bid to plug a major funding black hole in its accounts.

HMS Ocean had already been due to be decommissioned later this year and be replaced by HMS Queen Elizabeth as the UK's new flagship.

The 22,000-ton vessel, which entered service in 1998, provided hurricane support in the Caribbean last year and played a key security role in the London 2012 Olympics.

The Brazilian Navy will pay for modifications to the ship, to be undertaken by UK firms Babcock and BAE Systems, and will then take possession of HMS Ocean in June.

Its sale, which was rumoured earlier this year, follows a scathing report from the National Audit Office late last month of the MoD's accounts.

In the report, the national spending watchdog
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to the MoD's 10-year plan, which it said could possibly balloon to £21bn should price rises occur and "ambitious" cost-savings not be achieved.

The MoD is planning to spend £179.7bn over the next decade on equipment, including on five Type 31e frigates and on its replacement Trident submarine programme.

Announcing the sale today, Clive Walker, of the Defence Equipment Sales Authority, which handled the transaction, said it would "provide a financial return to the UK which will now be reinvested in defence".

However, it could prompt questions to resurface over why the MoD agreed to a £65m refit of the vessel just four years ago, given it is now being decommissioned and sold.

The overhaul involved an upgrade of all communications and weapons systems, and took fifteen months in total.

The Government has said it took the decision to pay for a refit at that time due to safety requirements, despite knowing that the vessel's decommissioning date would be 2018.

It said by that year HMS Ocean would have "reached the end of her life".
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asif iqbal

asif iqbal

Lieutenant General
HMS Ocean £85 million to Brazil

They spent £65 million to refurb it 4 years ago

Then people ask why there is a £5 billion “black hole”

HMS Bulwark and Albion will be going if the amphibious fleet is to go completely

Unless they decide to attach these LPD to QE for littoral missions to carry equipment and ground troops

Looks like RN went from

True independent amphibious Force- LHD, LPD and dock landing ship Bay class

To combined carrier/amphibious Force - QE with assests

Rather than keeping two separate branches

Price of keeping amphibious Force would be tiny compared to capabilitys
 
Obi Wan Russell

Obi Wan Russell

Jedi Master
VIP Professional
My gut feeling is the amphibs forces were offered up as cuts because there loss would be so unpalatable and politically embarrassing it would be rejected. The Sec Def is clearly up for a fight as it is a way to make a name for himself, unlike the jaded older secdefs we've had in recent years who were happy to 'rest' at the MOD while waiting for a more important job to come along/ a scandal to hit the news which would sink their career. This Sec Def has some fire in his belly and is up for a fight. The fact that the review has been effectively 'kicked into the long grass should tell you a lot. It's all far from over
 
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