UK Military News, Reports, Data, etc.

I didn't check on that story, just hope navyreco didn't make it up

Sea Waves said:

London April 25, 2014

The Royal Navy submarine, HMS Tireless, S88, has concluded its contribution to the search for the signal from the black box of Malaysian Airlines flight MH370.

Working alongside the survey ship HMS Echo, Tireless played an important role in the hunt for the black box signal by using her specialist sonar capabilities.

But, with the Australian command assessing that there is no prospect of further acoustic detections associated with the aircraft’s black box, HMS Tireless has been stood down.

The commanding officer of HMS Tireless, Commander R Hywel Griffiths, said:

"I am proud of the part HMS Tireless has played in the operation to find MH370. The only submarine participating, Tireless, with her advanced underwater search capability, is ideally suited to this challenging task.

"Overcoming some of the most inhospitable sea conditions ever experienced by my crew, we searched 7,000 square nautical miles in a 16-day period.

"I am also very proud of the professionalism and enthusiasm of my ship’s company. My highly trained and experienced young team of sonar operators were key to this operation, supported by the steadfast commitment of the remainder of my team, some in their very first months at sea."

HMS Echo is currently returning to port for replenishment having supported the search in recent weeks.

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BBC uploaded a new video to Youtube about a pair of British officers sent to China on exchange:




The British officers don't seem too impressed by the practical skills and autonomy of their Chinese counterparts, especially during an exercise where the Chinese cadets that were paired with them struggled with the map and after splitting up to cover their objectives, gets lost and never makes it back in time while the British manage to find their objectives.

Pointblank said:

BBC uploaded a new video to Youtube about a pair of British officers sent to China on exchange:

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The British officers don't seem too impressed by the practical skills and autonomy of their Chinese counterparts, especially during an exercise where the Chinese cadets that were paired with them struggled with the map and after splitting up to cover their objectives, gets lost and never makes it back in time while the British manage to find their objectives.

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I saw that too, but whether that is because the PLA cadets they were paired with were simply incompetent or whether it is because the every cadet group that day were incompetent, and whether equivalent UK cadets would have done substantially better is a whole other question. (Nor does the video say whether it was because of... Uhh.. Cadet Jason that the half of the group with him found the marker points)

And I think what they said at the end was that the UK armed forces had a little bit more realism in their exercises and a little more leadership. At the risk of overblowing what was essentially a week long courtesy call, I don't consider that a bad review.

I think the biggest thing that can be taken from this is that the PLA are indeed being more open about some of their activities.

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(Replacing US Air Force F-15Cs in the rotation)

Naval Today said:

The UK jets will reinforce the Polish contribution to the air policing mission; a standing defensive mission undertaken by rotations of aircraft from contributing nations on a 4-month cycle.

The Defence Secretary Philip Hammond announced this to the House of Commons in March. The deployment forms part of a series of measures taken by Nato to support and reassure its eastern member states.

Mr Hammond said:

"In the wake of recent events in Ukraine, it is right that Nato takes steps to reaffirm very publicly its commitment to the collective security of its members.

"As a leading member of Nato, the UK is playing a central role, underlined by yesterday’s deployment of RAF Typhoon aircraft to Lithuania.

"This, alongside the other action we are taking, will provide reassurance to our Nato allies in eastern Europe and the Baltic states."

As part of standing arrangements within Nato, members of the alliance without their own air policing assets are assisted by others.

The RAF’s Typhoon FGR4, based at RAF Coningsby in Lincolnshire and RAF Leuchars in Fife, is also used to provide air policing within UK airspace as part of the ‘Quick Reaction Alert’ and in the Falkland Islands.

A multi-role combat aircraft, it is capable of being deployed in the full spectrum of air operations, from air policing through to high intensity conflict.

This Typhoon deployment comes 6 weeks after the UK Sentry E-3D aircraft, which is part of the Nato Airborne Warning and Control System Force, was deployed to Polish and Romanian airspace to provide additional reassurance to our allies, said UK MoD in its release.

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So, now, Polish Mig-29s and RAF Typhoons are patrolling in eastern Europe and the Baltic. They took over the duties from US F-15C aircraft which had the first round of patrols. Here's a picture of two of the US F-15Cs on patrol.


Looks like a load out of four AMRAAMs and four Sidewinders on each aircraft...loaded for Bear so to speak.

The US deployed ten F-15Cs to the Baltic patrol and had twelve F-16s deployed to Poland at the same time.

Poland itself has 36 F-16Cs Block 52+, 12 F-16Ds Block 52+ with hundreds of AIM-9X and AMRAAM missiles. The Poles also hav 31 Mig-29s

Btw I should add that UK BAE has just about finished the high speed wing tunnel testing of the Tranche 3 Typhoon with conformal fuel tanks and it is expected the design phase will be over by the summer

Conformal fuel tanks means more weapons space under wings which means anti ship and cruise missiles can be added

I have seen the design and the conformal tanks look kind of bubbly and not like F16 C/D Block 52+

asif iqbal said:

Btw I should add that UK BAE has just about finished the high speed wing tunnel testing of the Tranche 3 Typhoon with conformal fuel tanks and it is expected the design phase will be over by the summer

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Hey, Asif. Are you still crossing the bridge on your way to work?

How is the Queen Elizabeth looking? No new pictures on the Alliance Site in some time.

Jeff Head said:

Hey, Asif. Are you still crossing the bridge on your way to work?

How is the Queen Elizabeth looking? No new pictures on the Alliance Site in some time.

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The carrier is coming along very nicely but as I cross the fourth road bridge the new replacement bridge crossing (which is under construction) are now getting in the way so it's not a clear view

Little has changed on the carrier after the radar and ramp were put into place main work now is eletrical and insulation etc the appearance hasn't changed which may explain lack of pictures launched still in July!

Best part is as soon as it's launched they start on the next one!

Northrop Grumman has designed, developed, integrated and fielded a Mode S upgrade to the Identification Friend or Foe (IFF) interrogator for the Sentry E-3D Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) fleet based at Royal Air Force Waddington.
The IFF interrogator is a sophisticated airborne defence system that provides a long-range, rapid early warning and detection capability, allowing discrimination between friendly and hostile aircraft. The Mode S system enables the aircraft to be used in controlled airspace.
The work was performed at Royal Air Force Waddington under Northrop Grumman’s existing Sentry E-3D Whole Life Support Program (WLSP), and is the most complex of a series of modifications the company has carried out to date for the Sentry aircraft fleet.
“This innovative system upgrade has eliminated the need for complete mission computer replacement, thereby providing the Ministry of Defence with a comprehensive, affordable solution to the Civil Aviation Authority’s upgrade requirement,” said John Parker, director, weapon system sustainment and modernization, Northrop Grumman Technical Services.
“The new, open architecture system also provides a foundation for future incremental hardware and software upgrades to support sustainment of the Sentry E-3D.”
“Northrop Grumman partnered with the Sentry Project Team to develop and integrate this complex, critical capability,” said Group Capt. Adam Northcote-Wright, Air ISTAR delivery manager, Defence Equipment and Support. “This combined effort delivered a cost effective Mode S solution that has achieved full operational capability across the U.K. Sentry E-3D fleet.”
Northrop Grumman delivers the WLSP for the Sentry E-3D AWACS fleet and is on contract until 2025. The company is the design organization, providing long term U.K.-based technical support to the program.
Working in partnership with the Air ISTAR Program Team, Northrop Grumman provides a wide range of through-life services needed to support the Sentry E-3D AWACS aircraft. Northrop Grumman also provides the radar and in-service support for the radar. Members of Northrop Grumman’s Joint Sentry Support Team include BAE Systems and AAR.


Read more:

Little encounter with Russians, this time in English Channel

Portsmouth ship HMS Dragon now tracks Russian Navy task group

Sailors on board HMS Dragon are now keeping a watchful eye on more Russian naval vessels, after a seven-strong task group has entered the English Channel.

The Portsmouth-based Type 45 destroyer has been monitoring the movements of the group, which is being led by the Russian aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov.

HMS Dragon is the Royal Navy’s current Fleet Ready Escort – a ship which is kept at high-readiness to respond to such events.

The ship and her 200-strong company sailed from Portsmouth for the task, the Ministry of Defence has today confirmed.

Once the ships spotted each other, they briefly sailed close by as a standard ‘meet and greet’, the Royal Navy said.

As well as the Kuznetsov, the task group includes: the Kirov-class nuclear-powered battle cruiser Pyotr Velikiy; tankers; Segey Osipov, Kama and Dubna; one ocean-going tug Altay and the landing support ship Minsk...........

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