UK Military News, Reports, Data, etc.

Scratch said:

I think the CAMM has a diameter just over half of what a Sea Wolf has (166mm vs 300mm). A Type-23 has a 32cell GWS.26 VLS. While CAMM(M) is "quad-packing capable", it's not meant to on the Duke FFGs.

I found the following:

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A very informative article, and I would recommend reading more of it

That would mean 32 Sea Ceptors on the Dukes. As the above excerpt states, it would also greatly benefit the Darings, significantly increasing the numbers of missiles avalable. At 25km range, it could very reasonably replace the Aster 15, the fat booster design of wich I never really liked. The CAMM could also finally be a baseline for a european ESSM. Even the supposed CAMM-ER with an added booster of 190mm diameter is still significantly less then an ESSM at 254mm, I think.
I would also like to see an IIR seeker version.

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Jura said:

... and more GCS news:
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Canada, Australia, and Germany are among potential markets for BAE Systems PLC's (BA.LN) new Type 26 frigate, as the defense company presses ahead with the first supplier contracts to start building the ships for Britain'sRoyal Navy.

"We are active in the international market," Geoff Searle, BAE Systems Type 26 program director told reporters in London on Wednesday.

Decisions on whether those countries would buy the BAE Systems design may be more than a year away, with the three countries still early in their equipment-decision processes, Mr. Searle said. BAE would provide the design information, though the warships would be built by shipyards in those countries.

Production for the U.K. of the Type 26 frigate--called the Global Combat Ship--is due to start late next year in Glasgow, Scotland, Mr. Searle said. The ship should enter service in early 2020. The Type 26 is principally intended as a submarine-hunting ship, though it could also conduct other roles.

The company on Wednesday announced over 170 million pounds ($265 million) in contracts for the first three Type 26 vessels under a GBP859 million demonstration phase that began earlier this year. The contracts include ship engines from Rolls-Royce Holdings PLC (RR.LN) and electronic equipment from Raytheon Co. (

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The British government still has to award the production contract for its ships, which will require the defense ministry and BAE to agree pricing. Current development efforts are trying to finalize ships costs, Mr. Searle said, though there was "a clear intent" to begin the production phase in April.

The ship, which will replace the Type 23 frigate, is 149 meters in length and displaces 6,000 metric tons, has a range of about 7,000 nautical miles. It can accommodate helicopters and would be equipped with a medium-caliber gun and be able to fire cruise missiles against land targets.

Australia, Canada and Germany are all interested in an anti-submarine warfare design, Mr. Searle said, though other countries have shown interest in a more multi-mission-focused version.

The Australian government this week announced a A$20 billion ($14.7 billion) program of nine frigates, to be built three years earlier than forecast, and 20 offshore combat ships.

BAE Systems is assessing the impact of Canberra's plan on any potential impact to its footprint in Australia. The company's has been looking for greater clarity on Australia's shipbuilding program as it decides the future of its Williamstown shipbuilding facility near Melbourne. The site faces a gap in work.

BAE Systems Australia Acting Chief Executive, Glynn Phillips, said, "the company is keen to receive more details about the Government's plans for the procurement and production of the Future Frigates and Offshore Patrol Vessels."

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FORBIN said:

Very good Scratch my friend !
But then in fact later Aster-15 would not really interesting because only one by VLS and CAMM 4 but a thing Aster are considered as the best or one of the best missile anti-missile and CAMM also good ? ( identical range 30 and 25 km )
Even if this is not the case, sure 4 CAMM better as one Aster-15.

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BRITAIN may have to go cap in hand to Italy or Germany to secure spare parts for the RAF’s Tornado bombers.

The warning comes just days after Defence Secretary Michael Fallon extended the RAF mission against the Islamic State terror group in Iraq, and potentially Syria, until 2017.

That decision, coupled with the last-minute reprieve of a Tornado squadron, has left military planners anxious to secure vital spare parts should their limited stocks run out.

Nato nations that operate Tornado aircraft already have a part-swap arrangement that allows countries to borrow from each other, though this has seldom, if ever, been used.

However, last night senior Whitehall sources confirmed that Air Chief Marshal Sir Andrew Pulford has recently placed both Italy’s Aeronautica Militare and Germany’s Luftwaffe, which operate the same variants of GR4 Tornado as the UK, on standby.

Britain operates eight GR4 Tornados as part of the so-called Coalition of the Willing against Islamic State.

Making his announcement on Tuesday, Mr Fallon also reprieved the 100-year-old 12 Squadron, which was technically scrapped last year, until 2017.

A senior source said last night: “The margins for spares are thin but they were manageable as things stood.

“However, this week’s announcement has added an extra strain. Syria is very different to Iraq.

"There are more targets and the chances of a GR4 suffering damage are consequently higher.”

He added that there were three vital components that were potentially problematic, though he refused to identify them on security grounds.

“There are three sensitive parts, in particular, over which availability is causing some concern,” he said.

“At this stage we don’t know whether Germany or Italy can spare them, since they have their own commitments, but the request has been made.

“I understand both countries are willing to cooperate with other components.”

Last year a ground engineer at the RAF’s Akrotiri air base in Cyprus, from which raids across Iraq are launched, reported that spare parts were in such short supply that ground crews were being forced to cannibalise several Tornados to keep a single one going.

If the RAF does not manage to find the spares it needs, the Tornado could be replaced by the Eurofighter Typhoon.

But, unlike the robust Tornado bomber, this aircraft was designed as a high-altitude air-to-air interceptor and would be more susceptible to threats from the ground.

In addition, they may not be able to carry the RAPTOR pod surveillance equipment vital to locate targets on the ground.

Last night the Ministry of Defence denied there was a problem.

A spokesman said: “Spares are not running low and there is no shortage of spares for the UK Tornado fleet.”

However, aviation expert Elizabeth Quintain, of the Rusi think-tank, warned that last-minute reprieves for a year at a time could have consequences even beyond the availability of spares.

“There are options for spares depending on what’s needed.

Certainly there’s Italy and Germany, which has recently announced that it is keeping its fleet until 2029,” she said.

“The problem with extending a contract on a year-by-year basis is that BAe may lose its own expertise. Key people may choose to move on.

“In the past there have been issues of serviceability because engineers have left.

"So even if their spares do hold out, they may not be available in a timely fashion.”

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The lion is awakening from its three-year slumber as work begins to turn HMS Albion into the nation’s future flagship.
The assault ship has been in extended readiness since 2011 in her home base of Devonport, while her sister HMS Bulwark – currently leading the Navy’s annual amphibious Cougar deployment in the Mediterranean – has served as flagship.
Come April 2017, the two ships’ roles will be reversed as Bulwark is laid up and Albion takes her place on the right of the line.
A small group of sailors has been responsible for looking after Albion while she’s been berthed in one of Devonport’s basin.
But it will still take two and a half years to bring the 19,000-tonne assault ship fully back to life – initially courtesy of a 60-strong team of ship’s company, reservists and specialist marine engineer technicians from defence firm Babcock.
They began that Herculean task by carefully moving the ship into No.10 Dock to inspect the hull – the very first stage of any refit, and of Albion’s regeneration.
Although marine growth had attached itself to the 577ft hull, so good was the original paint scheme applied to the ship that a high-pressure wash removed it “in a jiffy”.
Other elements of the refit package planned for Albion will prove rather more demanding – computer, weapons, radar and command systems will need upgrading to keep pace with developments while the ship has been out of action.
Her engines and propulsion system will be given a full overhaul, as will the accommodation spaces and messes – more than 300 sailors, plus over 400 Royal Marines when deployed.
Commander Steve Ward, the ship’s Senior Naval Officer, said his team found the ship “in surprisingly good nick” when they stepped aboard to begin Albion’s rejuvenation.
“The first impression was very much like stepping onboard any Royal Navy warship – the core team have done a good job of keeping the patient alive these past few three years,” he added.
“We’re undaunted by the rollercoaster ride that is invariably associated with the maintenance period for any capital ship.

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Naval Today said:

A Royal Navy’s Lynx helicopter from 815 Squadron, Royal Naval Air Station Yeovilton, lit up the night sky with her decoy flares as part of an exercise in the Indian Ocean.

The helicopter is on a nine-month deployment to the Gulf with HMS Richmond, a Portsmouth-based Type 23 frigate which is silhouetted in the background.

Decoy flares, or Infra Red Counter Measures, attract heat-seeking missiles, drawing them away from the helicopter’s engines and onto a much hotter target.

HMS Richmond’s primary tasking in the Indian Ocean has been as part of Combined Maritime Forces Combined Task Force 150.

Their mission is to promote maritime security in order to counter terrorist activity and other illegal activities.

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Naval Today said:

Royal Navy’s new Astute Class attack submarine Artful has arrived at her Scottish base port from where she will carry out sea trials before entering service later this year.

The 7,400-tonne Artful left BAE Systems’ construction yard at Barrow-in-Furness in Cumbria several days ago before sailing to her new home at Her Majesty’s Naval Base (HMNB) Clyde. She will provide the Royal Navy with the most technologically advanced submarine Britain has ever sent to sea.

HMNB Clyde will become a home for the Royal Navy’s submarines and associated support by 2020, creating a submarine centre of specialisation.

The base is among the largest single-site employers in Scotland, with 6,700 military and civilian personnel, increasing under current UK Government plans to 8,200 by 2022.

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