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UK fighter numbers to reach all-time low with loss of Tornados and early Typhoons in 2019
Gareth Jennings, London - IHS Jane's Defence Weekly
21 July 2015

While the Tranche 1 Typhoons are slated to be retired in 2019, along with the Tornado GR.4, they should be retained in service to act as a force multiplier in the air-to-air role for which they are already supremely suited so as to ease the burden off the rest of the depleted fast-jet force. Source: IHS/Patrick Allen
The UK's frontline fast-jet force is set to fall to its lowest numerical strength just ahead of the turn of the decade, with the almost simultaneous retirement of both the Panavia Tornado GR.4 and early model Eurofighter Typhoon fleets, the government disclosed on 21 July.

Answering questions in the House of Commons, Philip Dunne, Minister for Defence Equipment, Support, and Technology said that the retirement of the Tornados is to coincide with that of the Tranche 1 Typhoons in 2019.

Currently, the Royal Air Force (RAF) fields 53 Tranche 1 Typhoons and 87 Tornados which, when coupled with the Tranche 2 and 3A Typhoons now flying, brings its frontline combat inventory up to 192 aircraft. Although the loss of 140 aircraft by 2019 represents a 77% reduction in the current force strength on paper, it should be noted that this will be offset somewhat by the continued delivery of the Tranche 3 Typhoons, as well as the arrival of the first Lockheed Martin F-35B Lightning II Joint Strike Fighters.

Even so, while all 40 Tranche 3A Typhoons should be with the RAF by 2019, the United Kingdom is expected to have received only about 15 to 20 F-35Bs by this time (to be operated by both the RAF and Royal Navy). When the loss of the Tornados and Tranche 1 Typhoons is taken into account, the United Kingdom will be left with about 127 frontline combat jets at best when this happens (the lowest number that the RAF will have fielded since its creation in 1918).

Notwithstanding the fact that at that early point in its service the F-35 will likely not be fully combat capable (the Block 3F [full combat capability] software is slated to be rolled out in late 2017, but the United Kingdom is not due to declare full operating capability [land and maritime] for the type until 2023). To date, only the first 14 operational F-35Bs have been authorised (of which four have been ordered), and while overall numbers have not yet been disclosed there is a possibility that the original planned order for 138 aircraft may be truncated to just 48 for the new Queen Elizabeth-class carriers.

If this were to occur, the UK frontline fast-jet fleet would number just 107 Tranche 2 and 3A Typhoons and 48 F-35Bs, for a grand total of 155 combat aircraft. While this could be increased with the 48 additional Typhoons earmarked for a Tranche 3B buy, this now seems all but certain not to happen.

While there is some validation to the argument that, because the Tranche 2 and 3A Typhoons and the F-35Bs are more capable aircraft than those that came before them, fewer will be needed, it is also true that no aircraft, no matter how capable, can be in more than one place at any time. This has been shown by the government's recent decision to slow down the pace of the Tornado retirement, even reconstituting an already disbanded unit, to ensure that simultaneous operational commitments in three theatres (Afghanistan, Iraq, and North Africa at that time) could be met.

The United Kingdom currently faces a number of threats to its security that require the application of combat aircraft, either in a kinetic warfighting role, as over Iraq and no doubt soon over Syria, or in a deterrent role, such as with the Baltic Air Policing missions currently being flown to ward off Russian aggression against NATO allies. With at least one of these threats only recently having been described by the UK prime minister, David Cameron, as "generational", and the other not likely to be resolved anytime soon, the further loss of UK airpower at such a precarious time as this seems somewhat perverse.

One solution to this quandary might be not to retire the Tranche 1 Typhoons at all, after all a 16-year service life - given the investment that has been made - does not appear to provide value for money or to make much sense. Although there will certainly be a cost implication of retaining the Tranche 1 Typhoons in service, this would be relatively small given that all of the initial investment has already been made, and that the training, operating, and sustainment infrastructures are already in place and are set to serve the wider Typhoon force through to the 2030 out-of-service date now earmarked for the Tranche 2 and 3A aircraft.

While it is true that the early-model Typhoons are not compatible with many of the hardware and software upgrades that would be needed to afford them a full multirole capability, they remain highly potent air-to-air fighter platforms and should be able to more than match any adversaries that they might meet in this arena for a number of years yet.

There is no physical reason why these 53 Tranche 1 Typhoons could not be retained in service out to 2030. While they will never match the outright capabilities of their more modern stablemates, a rolling programme of upgrades to their systems, such as the already very capable Captor mechanically-scanned radar, should at the very least afford the United Kingdom with a highly potent force multiplier to relieve some of the pressure from the newer Typhoons and Lightning IIs.

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thunderchief said:

UK fighter numbers to reach all-time low with loss of Tornados and early Typhoons in 2019

When the loss of the Tornados and Tranche 1 Typhoons is taken into account, the United Kingdom will be left with about 127 frontline combat jets at best when this happens (the lowest number that the RAF will have fielded since its creation in 1918).

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The thick of the Typhoon fleets in Europe currently is made up by Tranche 1 Typhoons with a very limited air to ground capability
The Tranche 1 Typhoons were initially delivered with Basic Air Defence capability (Block 1), then came the Block 2 and 2B with more complete AA capabilities, and finally the Block 5, which introduced some air to ground strike capability. All Tranche 1 Typhoons are being upgraded to Block 5 standards under the R2 retrofit program.
Block 5 Typhoons, known in the RAF as FGR4, (Fighter/Ground attack/Reconnaissance) come with the capability of employing laser guided ammunition (Paveway II for the UK, GBU-10 and GBU-16 for the other partner nations), but only with laser designation provided by a third party (either a land-based designator or a pod installed on another aircraft, much like the Tornado GR1 in the Gulf War, which launched paveways on laser designations made by the old Buccaneers

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Hopefully, they will be able to retain some of them as a stop gap as the newer

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FORBIN said:

** For a comparison we have since 2010 about 4 NATO/European AF very close for fighters numbers, As i have mentionned in the France thread AF have 240, Germany, UK and Greece each btrw 225/235.

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Around 80 F-35Bs

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- It will be somewhat easier to argue for more F-35s if the number of squadrons is kept up. Replacing the equipment of existing squadrons is one thing. Rebuilding squadrons after losing them entirely is a different story, especially in the Treasury's eye.

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Naval Today said:

Royal Navy’s HMS Sutherland has once again proven her fighting worth by firing her 4.5 in main gun for the first time since coming out of refit in March.

The firing, in the South Coast exercise area, demonstrated that HMS Sutherland’s weapons systems are working correctly and saw 88lbs of steel and power leaving the barrel of her main gun at more than twice the speed of sound.

For four decades the distinctive Mk 8 Mod 0 gun – fitted to all Type 42 destroyers, Type 23 and later Type 22 frigates – was the Fleet’s principal weapon against targets ashore.

But over the past decade the Mod 0 has gradually been replaced by the Mk 8 Mod 1.

The newer gun is an electrical system with hydraulics only for ramming the round into the breach. The angular shape of the Mod 1 also reduces its radar cross-section.

HMS Sutherland now continues with her few remaining trials and preparations before the ship begins its Operational Sea Training period.

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HMS Sutherland, F81​

German plans to acquire a fleet of new combat ships through a European competition have opened the door to a possible sale of the British Royal Navy's Type 26 frigate design, BAE Systems executives said.

The German Ministry of Defense is expected soon to issue invitations to tender to several of Europe's big naval shipyards as it seeks designs for a 7,500-metric-ton multirole combat ship known as the MKS180.

Berlin is looking to open up a defense procurement process that has been battered over the last year or so by criticisms of cost overruns and program delays. Traditionally the German MoD has handed naval contracts to local shipyards like ThyssenKrupp Marine, Lurssen and German Naval Yards, Now, it looks like other European shipbuilders may be given a chance to provide designs.

The German Navy plans to acquire four MKS180s with options for a further two vessels.

BAE's naval ship business, based in Glasgow, Scotland, hopes to take advantage of the more open procurement process in Germany by offering a design based on the Type 26, also known as the global combat ship in export markets.

"It's early days," said Geoff Searle, the Type 26 program director at BAE. "German teams been over here, and there has been ministerial discussion. ... We are certainly interested in the program. They have a similar requirement to the Type 26."

German Naval Yards has already had discussions with BAE about the British company providing design expertise for its proposal to design and build MKS180s at the German company's Kiel-based company's facilities, German sources said.

BAE is talking to potential partners to explore how best to respond to the requirement, a company spokeswoman said, but she declined to confirm German Naval Yards was the company involved in the discussions.

One German defense analyst, who asked not to be named, said the British will have to keep a low profile to have any chance of success.

"The last thing the German Naval Yard wants is reference to a British ship," he said. "No one will think of buying a British ship. The yard will compete with a German offer based on a BAE design. The ship will be built in Germany and will have no UK equipment like command and control or electronics."

Other European rivals such as DCNS, Fincantieri and Navantia also may weigh in with bids, although some of the potential players are keeping their options open ahead of the requirement becoming clearer.

A DCNS spokesman said the French company had "not yet decided whether to enter [the German competition] or not."

An Italian industrial source said Fincantieri was monitoring the situation to understand the requirement before it decides whether to get involved.

Germany is the latest of several potential partners BAE has courted for involvement with the Type 26 program. So far the effort is unsuccessful.

Searle said the company continues to pursue a number of export opportunities, including programs in Australia and Canada.

The continuing export effort comes as BAE works to mature its Type 26 design effort and to push through a major transformation of its two yards on the River Clyde in Scotland. The two yards are home to a £1 billion (US $1.56 billion) a year naval ships operation currently leading an industry alliance building two 65,000-metric-ton aircraft carriers and three offshore patrol vessels for the Royal Navy.

BAE also has a maritime services and nuclear submarines business which, together with naval ships, generates about £2.4 billion in revenues and employs some 15,000 people across the UK.

The transformation effort has seen the company recently commit to spending £100 million to improve facilities at its Govan and Scotstoun yards, and to embark on a program of work practices and process changes aimed at placing it in the top 25 percent of the world's naval shipbuilders in terms of efficiency.

BAE is poised to firm up its list of major equipment suppliers for Type 26 ships in the next few weeks following the award of an £859 million demonstration contract awarded by the British government in April to complete detail design and acquire long-lead items for the first three ships. The Royal Navy plans a fleet of 13 anti-submarine warfare-general purpose frigates.

BAE completed functional engineering design on the Type 26 and is now into spatial design.

Protracted negotiations with the MoD over a production contract and a schedule for the delivery of the first three vessels are ongoing but a plan to cut first metal next year remains in place.

MoD officials previously talked about 2022 for first delivery of the Type 26, but Searle said 2021 was also being discussed. While delivery of the first warship is not yet set in stone, the requirement is to replace the first of the Type 23 fleet in 2023, he said.

BAE is expecting a production contract for three ships after completion of the yearlong demonstration phase next April.

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Scratch said:

...initial hints are a 127mm / 5" gun, perhaps 2x 27mm guns, 2x RAM bl.2. Organic aviation capacity. Also, later on, a possibility to add guided ASuW missiles and a point AAW capability, out to 25km.

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With all these things, the MKS 180 could, IMO, at best be really loosely based on the GCS.
Given the size, there might be enough room available to make that modularity concept actually work to some extent. I really hope there's enough contingency space to properly integrate ASh and AD missiles later on when money becomes available.

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Article said:

Modern surface to air missiles are also planned to engage air targets at distances of up to 25 kilometers and to protect other ships from threats from the air.

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