Bankrupted Beggar UK's last £1bn Destroyer Diamond broke down @ GULF

[minionstar]

UK's last working destroyer HMS Diamond which cost £1 billion is broken down in the Persian Gulf, left UK with no more working destroyer as the others are also broken down much earlier.

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/hms-diamond-aborts-gulf-mission-after-breaking-down-23trfhw5j

HMS Diamond aborts Gulf mission after breaking down
Deborah Haynes, Defence Editor


November 23 2017, 12:01am, The Times

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HMS Diamond, a Type 45 destroyer, had problems with a propellerTimes photographer Richard Pohle
One of Britain’s most advanced warships has aborted a mission to the Gulf and is heading home after breaking down, The Times can reveal.

HMS Diamond, a £1 billion Type 45 destroyer, had problems with a propeller that could not be fixed at sea despite the efforts of sailors on board.

It is the latest debacle to beset the Royal Navy’s fleet of six destroyers, built by BAE Systems and Rolls-Royce, which started entering service eight years ago.

The other five warships are in Portsmouth because of routine maintenance, a shortage of sailors and problems with the engine, which struggles in warm water.

There is not thought to be any other ship, including among a


http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...ech-navy-warship-HMS-Diamond-breaks-Gulf.html

Embarrassment for Royal Navy as hi-tech warship HMS Diamond breaks down in the Gulf and is forced to limp home

• The £1 billion warship was two months into a deployment when the problems hit
• The navy's five other destroyers are undergoing maintenance in Portsmouth
• There are no other suitable ships in the fleet to replace HMS Diamond in the Gulf
• That means the UK cannot fulfill a long standing commitment to allies in region

By Tariq Tahir For Mailonline

Published: 18:01 GMT, 23 November 2017 | Updated: 20:13 GMT, 23 November 2017

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One of the Royal Navy's most advanced warships has been forced to abandon a mission to the Gulf after breaking down.

HMS Diamond had problems with a propeller that could not be fixed at sea despite the efforts of sailors on board. The £1 billion Type 45 destroyer had been two months into a nine-month deployment.

It is now heading now to join the navy's five other destroyers which are all in Portsmouth due to maintenance, a shortage of sailors and problems with the engine, which struggles in warm water.


HMS Diamond in Portsmouth. The £1 billion ship is one of the navy's most advanced vessels


The warship is now heading home from a Nato deployment in the Gulf


The warship was two months into a nine month deployment when it experienced propeller problems


All six of the Royal Navy's Type 45 destroyers are now confined to Portsmouth for repairs and modifications as well as staff shortages

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This means that Britain will be unable to perform a long-running commitment to provide reassurance to allies in the Gulf region, a rare occurrence for the navy.

The navy has no other ships that can do the mission, including among a fleet of 13 Type 23 frigates, that is ready to sail to replace HMS Diamond, The Times reported.

A navy website reported the ship had been due to 'be working with international and Nato allies to protect some of the world's busiest shipping lanes, keeping them free from criminal activities'.

The crew of HMS Diamond had already experienced an interruption in their deployment.


On its way to the Gulf, HMS Diamond replaced fleet flagship HMS Ocean in the Mediterranean which was sent to the Caribbean to help with hurricane relief


The warship was in the Gulf to protect some of the world's busiest shipping lanes and keep them free from criminal activities

A week after leaving Portsmouth, the ship led by Commander Ben Keith, was diverted to relieve the navy's HMS Ocean in the Mediterranean.

The fleet flagship which was deployed on a Nato maritime operation, was sent to deliver hurricane relief to British overseas territories in the Caribbean.

HMS Ocean returned in October and Diamond to sail on towards the Gulf but within days the propeller problem halted the mission.


Last year MPs heard the fleet of destroyers was breaking down because the ships' engines could not cope with the warm waters of the Gulf


Six Type 45 destroyers had spent a combined 1,515 days in UK ports for the year starting April 2015, it emerged last year

A navy spokesman said: 'We can confirm HMS Diamond has experienced technical issues but we do not discuss the detailed materiel state of our operational ships and are unable to comment further.'

Last year MPs were told by defence chiefs the fleet of destroyers was breaking down because the ships' engines could not cope with the warm waters of the Gulf.

Rolls-Royce executives also told the defence select committee that the engines had been built as specified but conditions in the Middle East were not 'in line with these specs'.

Last year, responding to a Freedom of Information request, the Ministry of Defence confirmed the six Type 45 destroyers had spent a combined 1,515 days in UK ports for the year starting April 2015 with four of the ships spending more than 300 days in British ports.

The warship to stay longest at its home port of Portsmouth was HMS Dragon, notching up 330 days, although this came after a nine-month deployment.

Read more:

• HMS Diamond aborts Gulf mission after breaking down | News | The Times & The Sunday Times

 

[minionstar]

http://www.savetheroyalnavy.org/typ...e-hms-diamond-breaks-down-on-gulf-deployment/

November 23, 2017
Type 45 Destroyer issues continue – HMS Diamond breaks down on Gulf deployment
Today the Times correctly reported that HMS Diamond has had to abort her Gulf deployment and return to home for repairs. The defect concerns the propellor but is not directly related to the engine issues that have been the primary cause of Type 45 destroyer woes. Unfortunately, the problem cannot be rectified by dry docking in Bahrain or Gibraltar and requires the attention of specialists in Portsmouth.

In recent years the RN has maintained single frigate or destroyer East of Suez on Operation Kipion. Patrolling the Gulf and the Indian Ocean on maritime security operations is an important priority for the RN and Diamonds departure will mean there is now no major RN warship in the region for the first time in since the Armilla Patrol was established in the early 1980s. This defect once again exposes how over-stretched the RN surface fleet has become as there are no replacements close to hand. While HMS Diamond’s ships company can enjoy Christmas at home, another ship is likely to have a radical change of program, Kipion is a priority tasking for the RN.

The only RN warship currently in the Mediterranean is HMS Ocean on her last major deployment as flagship for NATO Standing Maritime Group 2. HMS Diamond had already deputised for HMS Ocean in this role during September while Ocean made a dash across the Atlantic to support hurricane relief work in the Caribbean. At the end of October, HMS Ocean returned to the Mediterranean and HMS Diamond formally handed over to her at Souda Bay in Crete. She then sailed for the Gulf to relieve HMS Monmouth.

The Times states “Admiral Sir Philip Jones, head of the navy, is under pressure to demonstrate that the Type 45s work despite long-running problems with the engine in warm water”. The First Sea Lord cannot be blamed for the propulsion problems of the Type 45s, the roots of the issue go back several decades (explained in detail here). In this specific case, it is the Ministry of Defence (DE&S) and their BAE Systems contractors in Portsmouth who are responsible for the state of HMS Diamond’s propellors, not navy command. The over-stretched surface fleet is the fault of politicians of all parties who have repeatedly cut the navy and even now are contemplating further cuts.

It should be noted that despite the backdrop of manpower shortages, not enough ships and further possible cuts, on 22nd November 2017 the RN still managed to have 32 ships and submarines either overseas or on operations (including RFAs but not including P2000 boats) and around 8,000 people actively deployed. The beleaguered First Sea Lord can claim with some credibility that, in proportion to its size, the RN is the busiest navy in the world. (The majority of these vessels are deployed in European or northern waters).

Overall the Type 45 fleet spends far too much time alongside in Portsmouth. The £280 million Power Improvement Package (PIP), which should provide a permanent cure for the engine troubles, promised in the 2015 SDSR will not begin until 2019. This delay is unacceptable and should be brought forward as a matter of urgency, beginning with HMS Dauntless. Despite the propulsion troubles, it should be remembered the Type 45s have successfully deployed in the heat of the Gulf and elsewhere by using temporary engine fixes and some operating restrictions developed under the Equipment Improvement Plan (EIP).

Type 45s – snapshot

• HMS Daring – in long-term lay-up as harbour training ship (due to manpower shortages) since returning from successful 9-month Gulf deployment in May 2017.
• HMS Dauntless – due to begin major refit, having been laid up since 2015.
• HMS Diamond – Due back in Portsmouth in early December after propellor defect put a premature end to Gulf deployment.
• HMS Dragon – Participated in Exercise Formidable Shield in October and assisted with HMS Queen Elizabeth sea trials in early November. Alongside in Portsmouth.
• HMS Duncan – Alongside in Portsmouth – operational and may sail soon. (Possible candidate to replace Diamond in the Gulf?)
• HMS Defender – About to complete a lengthy major refit and return to the fleet.

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£1bn Royal Navy destroyer aborts Gulf mission after breakdown
Published time: 23 Nov, 2017 22:26 Edited time: 24 Nov, 2017 08:18
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HMS Diamond © Wikipedia
One of the most advanced Royal Navy warships, which cost around £1 billion, had to abort its mission in the Persian Gulf and return to the UK. This leaves the country without a seaworthy destroyer as five other vessels are already undergoing maintenance.
The HMS Diamond Type 45 destroyer, which was on a 9-month mission to protect trade routes in the region, was forced to head home after just two months. “We can confirm HMS Diamond has experienced technical issues, but we do not discuss the detailed material state of our operational ships and are unable to comment further,” a Navy spokesman said.

Read more
Trident whistleblower: ‘Only a matter of time before Britain’s insecure military bases are attacked’
Reports in the British media, however, claimed the vessel experienced problems with a propeller which sailors failed to repair at sea. The ship will join the Royal Navy’s five other destroyers, all built by BAE Systems and Rolls-Royce, which remain stuck in Portsmouth because of maintenance issues, a shortage of sailors and engine problems.

This leaves UK incapable of fulfilling its commitment to NATO allies in the Gulf as there’s currently no replacement for the HMS Diamond. “There is no question that this is a blow,” a military source told The Times.

The Royal Navy destroyers keep breaking down in the Gulf as its engines struggle to perform in warm water. Rolls-Royce told the Select Committee on Defense that conditions in the Middle East are not conducive with the specifications according to which the engines were built.

READ MORE: Navy ‘cannibalizing’ ships for parts, leaving vessels out of action

In 2016, the Ministry of Defense confirmed that six Type 45 destroyers had jointly spent a combined 1,515 days in UK ports during the previous year, with four ships lying idle for more than 300 days.

 

[minionstar]

UK is broke and struggling. They suffered a 3 years gap between retiring old carriers and getting their 2 new ones.

The managed to build 2 now, but not operational because the intended F-35B is NOT READY!

They also hurry to sell off old ones, and sell off the giant gentry cranes from China to India, but Chinese said, no spare parts no warranty no after sale service after India purchased.

http://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zon...onal-aircraft-carrier-could-be-sold-to-brazil

The Royal Navy's Only Operational Aircraft Carrier Could Be Sold To Brazil
It would leave the Royal Navy without any sort of aircraft carrier at all for a number of years.
By Tyler RogowayApril 17, 2017

• The War Zone
• Aircraft Carriers
• Amphibious Assault Ships
• brazil
• Brazilian Navy
• carriers
• HMS Ocean
• HMS Queen Elizabeth
• Royal Navy
• São Paulo

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The amphibious assault ship and helicopter carrier HMS Ocean is currently the largest vessel in the Royal Navy—it's also the flagship of the fleet. With years to go before the first of the Royal Navy's two Queen Elizabeth class aircraft carriers become operational, the HMS Ocean—which isn't even 20 years old—is slated for retirement next year, and according to reports she might be sold off for a bargain price to Brazil.

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HMS Ocean is a capable ship. She displaces 21,500 tons, was commissioned in 1998 and was just refit a few years ago. She can carry around 18 helicopters—but usually totes around less than a dozen—of various types, including large Chinook transports to Apache attack helicopters.

MoD
Past operations of one of HMS Ocean's tailored air groups.

Since the canning of the UK's Harrier force, along with its carriers HMS Illustrious and HMS Ark Royal, HMS Ocean has been the sole air warfare power projection vessel in the Royal Navy's inventory—with Royal Army Air Corps Apache Longbows providing the ship's over-the-horizon striking power. And this capability has been used successfully in combat before.

Although the UK's Apache force largely wrote the book on deploying the AH-64/AH Mk 1 to sea, HMS Ocean is meant to have a highly flexible air wing that can feature a composite of various cross-service, and even cross-national, helicopters depending on the mission. The ship is also built to execute amphibious assaults. In addition to her baseline crew of nearly 300, with another 200 attached to her air wing, up to 800 Royal Marines can be embarked at one time, along with 40 of their vehicles. The ship also carries four 51.5 foot landing craft (LCVPs) and has extensive command and control capabilities.

DoD
US Marines riding HMS Ocean's elevator during multi-national training exercises.

The Royal Navy gets a pretty big bang for their buck out of the relatively young HMS Ocean. She can do a lot of things, from anti-submarine warfare to amphibious assault, without the massive logistical footprint of a dedicated aircraft carrier. Above all else, the ship keeps the Royal Navy in the carrier game, which is not just a big deal geopolitically, but it is also significant when it comes to keeping skills needed to operate such a vessel fresh.

MoD
One of HMS Ocean's four LCVPs. The ship does not have a well deck, although other RN amphibs do. Instead, HMS Ocean lowers the vessels down to the water from storage positions on the sides of her hull.

But under the MoD's often puzzling defense spending choices, the versatile vessel will be retired next year. Many have called for her to stay in service at least until HMS Queen Elizabeth becomes operational, while others have demanded she be put in reserve for contingency operations. But recently it seems more likely that the ship will be sold. Her young age, updates systems, relatively economic operating costs, and versatility making her an attractive purchase for cash-strapped naval arms with big ideas.

MoD
HMS Ocean with Apache, Chinook and Merlin helicopters on its deck.

Brazil in particular appears to be interested in buying the ship. That makes good sense considering their antique aircraft carrier, the Sao Paulo, which was supposed to go through complex overhaul, has now been decommissioned due to its poor shape and the large sum of money it would take to get it back in operation. This leaves the Brazilian Navy without any sort of a flattop for the foreseeable future.

MoD
HMS Ocean can vary her aircraft compliment widely depending on the mission. Although not designed as an anti-submarine warfare ship, she has acted as one in the past successfully

Sure, HMS Ocean cannot operate fixed wing aircraft like the Brazil's AF1 Skyhawks, but the need for that capability has been of debatable for some time now. HMS Ocean would provide a good mix of more usable everyday capabilities, like working as an anti-submarine and sea control platform or being able to quickly deploy Brazilian commandos ashore or deploying relief during a natural disaster. It would also work as the centerpiece of Brazil's small but significant amphibious assault flotilla, which is made of a hodgepodge of four second-hand vessels of French, UK and US origin.

Rob Schleiffert/wikicommons
Sao Paulo at sea with Skyhawks aboard during better times.

Supposedly there is a fixed price offer from Brasilia for the ship for £80.3 million pounds ($100,950,000). That is less than the cost of a single F-35B that will fly from the HMS Queen Elizabeth's deck, and payment for the ship from Brasilia to London may be broken down in installments.

The Royal Navy has not confirmed that the deal with Brazil is done, but has alluded to the fact that "a number of options are being considered" including selling the vessel to a foreign government.

MoD
HMS Ocean is not an old or tired vessel. It will have served just 20 years at the time of its retirement and has been kept updated with modern sub-systems.

Helicopter carriers with amphibious assault capabilities have become somewhat of a hot commodity in recent years, with many navies procuring them with power projection in mind. The topic blasted onto the geopolitical stage in recent years following France's axed deal to provide a pair of Mistral class helicopter landing docks to Russia. Who should have bought the orphaned vessels was up to hot debate in the international press until it was announced that Egypt would be their new owners.

Ahmed XIV/Wikicommons
Egypt's new ENS Gamal Abdel Nasser, one of two Mistral class amphibious assault ship now in Cairo's possession.

Suggestions that Canada, India, Vietnam, South Korea, Saudi Arabia, The Netherlands, New Zealand, Singapore, China and even NATO should buy the ships were posited in high-profile ways before the purchase by Egypt was announced. Brazil was also thought to have been an ideal candidate, although this was a couple years ago, when the Brazilian Navy still thought they would bring Sao Paulo back to life.

We will have to wait and see if any other bidders for HMS Ocean come to the table. A NATO ally would seem to be the ideal buyer for the ship, as its combat systems, communications and other support systems are meant to interoperate with the alliance's forces. Plus a low selling price point could be justified to the public as a move to enhance NATO's strength overall.

Allied Joint Force Command NATO/Wikicommons
HMS Ocean has served as the centerpiece of many NATO naval exercises, including sailing into the Baltic Sea as part of BALTOPS.

Then again the UK could just find the funds to operate the ship, at least until they can claim a replacement is active in the form of HMS Queen Elizabeth. The plan also puts into question how the Royal Navy will afford two 65,000 ton class aircraft carriers—and an all-stealth fighter fast-jet contingent to fill their decks—when they seem to be unable or unwilling to fund even a single medium-sized helicopter carrier—one that pulls in aerial assets from across the MoD's inventory.

Supposedly the budgets are in place to see both Queen Elizabeth class carriers become operational, but it will be interesting to see if HMS Prince of Wales—HMS Queen Elizabeth's sister ship—will be sustained in an operational state over the long term. With HMS Ocean long gone by the time HMS Prince of Wales is supposed to become optional, sustaining one large fixed-wing capable carrier and one smaller helicopter carrier, and either putting HMS Prince of Wales in mothballs or selling it off, will not be an option.

AP
Still years away from being declared operation, the HMS Queen Elizabeth is complete, while HMS Prince of Wales is far along in its construction.

Contact the author: [email protected]

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[minionstar]

http://cimsec.org/21192-2/21192

Would Britain Really be Back as a Traditional Carrier Power?
January 22, 2016 Ben Ho Wan Beng 3 Comments


This article originally appeared on RealClearDefense. It can be read in its original form here.

By Ben Ho Wan Beng

The United Kingdom’s new national security document – the Strategic Defence and Security Review 2015 (SDSR 2015) – was released to much fanfare. This document has been generally well received in the defense community with most analysts believing that the review’s proposed changes would profoundly boost Britain’s military capabilities in the coming years.

Among SDSR 2015’s myriad initiatives, particularly eye-catching is the reiteration by London to have a two-carrier fleet comprising HMS Queen Elizabeth and sister ship Prince of Wales. Paralleled to this is the decision to acquire 138 F-35B Lightning II Vertical/Short Take-Off and Landing (VSTOL) strike fighters over the life of the aircraft program.

Various defense commentators have lauded these measures, arguing that Britain is now on its way to becoming a traditional aircraft-carrier nation again with the F-35B operating from the Queen Elizabeths. To illustrate, Philip Radford writes at The Strategist that the Royal Navy (RN) would soon have a “viable, independent, strike-carrier capability”. Similarly, a War On The Rocks piece by Matt Schnappauf speaks of the U.K. obtaining the ability to “deliver hard power through traditional carrier strike and maneuver missions.”

Would this really be the case? Arguably not during the first few years of the two British flat-tops’ projected 50-year service life. This is because their primary striking force – the F-35B complement – is likely to be considerably under-strength during their early years.

The raison d’etre of the aircraft carrier is its air wing, and the latter’s size and composition dictate the kind of operations the ship can carry out. A major doctrinal role for the flat-top is to project power and being able to carry out offensive missions is therefore essential for the vessel. Being a capital platform, however, the protection of the carrier is of utmost importance to its commanders, and a good portion of the ship’s air wing will invariably be dedicated to fleet air defense.

The onus is thus on the carrier task force leadership to maintain a judicious balance between defense and offense. Having a sizeable air wing on the carrier would certainly facilitate this endeavor, but this is not something the Queen Elizabeth-class vessels will have up till the year 2023 and maybe even beyond.

This is because although the new British carriers can each deploy up to 36 F-35Bs as part of its Tailored Air Group, a fraction of that figure is likely to be the norm during the ships’ fledging service period as there will not be enough of the aircraft to go around initially. Indeed, while theQueen Elizabeth and Prince of Wales are slated to be commissioned in 2017 and 2020 respectively, only 42 F-35Bs (24 for carrier deployment, 18 for training) will be in service by 2023 when both vessels and the F-35B are expected to reach full operational capability.

As Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne declared a day before the release of SDSR 2015: “We are going to make sure that when these aircraft carriers are available, they are going to have planes that can fly from them in force (emphasis added)… By 2023, we will be able to have 24 of these jets (F-35Bs)… on the decks of these carriers.”

That being said, it is not entirely clear exactly how many F-35Bs each flat-top will operate. Using the figure provided by the Chancellor, 24 of the aircraft for carrier duty works out to a measly 12 per ship, prima facie. As a matter of fact, various media outlets have reported that the carrier will routinely deploy with only a dozen of the aircraft. However, one informed source states that 15-20 F-35Bs will make up one squadron, of which there will be two. Given that one carrier and its constituents will be at sea at any one time while the other in port for refitting and crew rest, this means that each flat-top is likely to deploy with only one Lightning squadron.

A tactical combat aircraft complement of 12, or even 15-20, is rather small for traditional carrier operations, especially force-projection ones that are likely to predominate considering the SDSR’s expeditionary-warfare slant. Indeed, it is worth considering the fact that the two British small-deck carriers involved in the Falklands War carried 20-odd Harrier jump jets each, and they were about three times smaller than the Queen Elizabeth-class ships.

In fact, each new carrier might even be operating with a much fighter complement fewer than 15-20 in the years leading up to 2023, giving lie to the phrase “in force” used by George Osborne when he spoke of equipping the carriers with significant airpower.

In any case, the small fighter constituent means that if the Queen Elizabeth carrier were to get involved in a conflict with an adversary with credible anti-access/area-denial (A2/AD) capabilities, the vessel would be hard-pressed to protect itself, let alone project power. With a displacement of over 70,000 tons and costing over three billion pounds each, the new British carriers will be the crown jewels of the Royal Navy; indeed, HMS Queen Elizabeth is slated to be the RN’s flagship when she comes into service. The protection of the ship would hence be of paramount importance in an era that has witnessed the proliferation of A2/AD capabilities even to developing nations. Hence for a Queen Elizabeth carrying 20 or less Lightnings in such circumstances, it remains to be seen just how many of the aircraft will be earmarked for different duties.

Should a F-35B air group of that size put to sea, at least half of them will be assigned to the Combat Air Patrol (CAP), leaving barely 10 for offensive duties. It is worth noting that of the 42 Harrier VSTOL jets deployed on HMS Hermes and HMS Invincible during the Falklands War, 28 of them – a substantial two-thirds – had CAP as their primary duty. It is also telling that of the 1,300-odd sorties flown in all by the Harriers, about 83 per cent of them were for CAP.

Faced with modern A2/AD systems such as stand-off anti-ship missiles, how likely then would the carrier task force commander devote more resources to offense and risk having a vessel named after British royalty attacked and hit? Having said that, having too many planes for defense strengthens the argument made by various carrier critics that the ship is a “self-licking ice cream cone,” in other words, an entity that exists solely to sustain itself.

The task force commander would thus be caught between a rock and a hard place. Allocate more F-35Bs to strike missions and the susceptibility of the task force to aerial threats increase. Conversely, set aside more aircraft for the CAP and its mother ship’s ability to project power decreases. All in all, with a significantly understrength F-35B air wing, the Queen Elizabethflat-top would be operating under severe constraints, making it incapable of the traditional carrier operations it could have carried out with a larger tactical aircraft complement. Indeed, one naval commentator is right on the mark when he argues that two squadrons with a total of 24 aircraft should be a “sensible minimum standard” for each carrier.

A counter-argument can be posited that the F-35Bs of the United States Marine Corps (USMC) could deploy off the Queen Elizabeth carriers, and this will surely augment their air groups. Indeed, USNI News reported last September that such an arrangement is in the works. A similar counter-argument can also be made that the British carriers will invariably be operating in the company of the U.S. Navy and its supercarriers, rendering the need for a full-size air group not as pressing. While valid, these two contentions ignore the fact that American assets would only operate together with the Queen Elizabeth carriers during joint operations agreed to by both London and Washington.

Another counter-argument can be made that the two British flat-tops can operate together once Prince of Wales is commissioned, thus doubling the combat airpower of the carrier task force. This argument is flawed as it does not consider the fact that aircraft carriers are highly complex systems that need regular and lengthy refits. As such, when both Queen Elizabeths are in service, one is likely to be at sea while the other is in port undergoing maintenance, as mentioned earlier. Even if both ships happen to be sea-worthy at the same time, operating the two together, however, means that Britain would not be able to maintain the continuous at-sea carrier presence crucial to protecting its far-flung global interests.

A different counter-argument can be put forth that aircraft and crew from the 18 training F-35Bs, or even the other carrier, could be “surged” in extremis to the active-duty carrier. This assertion is seemingly more watertight, but it is not certain exactly how many of the aircraft and the requisite personnel to operate and maintain them would be available for redeployment to the flat-top at sea. As an article on the Navy Matters blog argues cogently along these lines:

“Those who might suggest that the a dozen aircraft are just fine for routine operations and that the rest of the aircraft can be instantly surged are just not seeing reality. The F-35 is not a WWI powered kite that can be piloted by someone with a few hours training and maintained by any mechanic with a pipe wrench. Surging F-35s may take weeks or months and a carrier caught in a moment’s notice conflict will be severely limited in its capabilities.”

Even if a considerable number of Lightnings and their requisite crew could be surged to the active-duty carrier on relatively short notice, it remains to be seen how effectively the augmented air wing could be utilized. As the aforementioned Navy Matters piece maintains perceptively, the transition from operating a dozen or so aircraft to 30-40 of them is unlikely to be seamless for the carrier; in addition, “(l)earning on the fly on a carrier is a recipe for disaster.”

Rounding up, the Strategic Defense and Security Review 2015 promises much for Britain in terms of aircraft carrier capability. While the document seeks to re-instate the U.K. as a traditional carrier power, it is still early days to proclaim that this will be a reality like what some have maintained. This is especially so considering the fact that the Queen Elizabeth flat-tops will be operating with a significantly reduced tactical aircraft complement till at least 2023. Of course, if the size of the British carrier’s F-35B complement could be increased, ideally closer to its full strength of 36, more possibilities will definitely open up for the Royal Navy with regard to its carrier capabilities.

Then again, this is contingent on the availability of financial resources in the years to come. This is especially crucial in view of the fact that various British naval programmers have been truncated or even completely shelved due to austerity. Think the Type 45 destroyer and the Cooperative Engagement Capability initiatives. In fact, HMS Prince of Wales was conceived at one stage to handle more capable catapult-launched aircraft, but prohibitive costs put paid to this idea.

That being said, if there is one thing that could ameliorate any fiscal problems that may arise in the future, it would be political will. Would Whitehall muster the political will needed to see the F-35B project through to its entirety? This is an issue that the defense community will certainly keep tabs on in the years to come.

Ben Ho Wan Beng is a Senior Analyst with the Military Studies Programme at Singapore’s S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, and he received his master’s degree in strategic studies from the same institution. Ben’s main research interest is in naval affairs, and his works in this area have been published inBreaking Defense, The Diplomat, War Is Boring, as well as the Center for International Maritime Security’sNextWar blog. He can be reached at [email protected].

http://cimsec.org/21192-2/21192?pdf=21192

 

[greedy and cunning]

UK's last working destroyer HMS Diamond which cost £1 billion is broken down in the Persian Gulf, left UK with no more working destroyer as the others are also broken down much earlier.

jolly good britain don't need any destroyers lah.
what or who they want to destroy ?
and nobody is going to attack them.

 

[tun_dr_m]

jolly good britain don't need any destroyers lah.
what or who they want to destroy ?
and nobody is going to attack them.

Ang Moh beggars are sleeplessly afraid of Putin.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/201...fence-budget-ensure-armed-forces-can-protect/
UK must boost defence budget to protect 'homeland' against Russian attack, former military chief warns

• 
  
• 
  

HMS Queen Elizabeth, the UK's newest aircraft carrier Credit: Steve Parsons/PA

• Jack Maidment, Political Correspondent

24 October 2017 • 9:20am


Britain’s defence budget must be increased to ensure the UK’s armed forces can protect the “homeland” against potential attacks from China or Russia, a former military chief has warned.

Sir Richard Barrons delivered a stark warning to Philip Hammond ahead of the Chancellor’s Budget next month as he said that “the future will not replicate the comfortable recent past”.

The retired senior officer said Britain would be unable to “deal with” an attack by another major power and that it risked losing the ability to protect British citizens during times of “great jeopardy”.

Sir Richard, who until last year led the UK’s Joint Forces Command which has responsibility for preparing for future conflicts, also warned that reducing the size of the British army below 82,000 would be a “problem”.

While the timing of Sir Richard’s intervention is unremarkable, coming as it does just weeks before Mr Hammond is due to deliver his Budget on November 22, his forthright assessment of the UK’s military capabilities is likely to raise eyebrows across Whitehall.

Sir Richard Barrons until last year led the UK’s Joint Forces Command Credit: David Gill for The Telegraph
Sir Richard said the UK needed to be prepared to fight “wars of necessity” in the future but he admitted he did not believe his argument would persuade the Chancellor to allocate more funding to the armed forces.


He told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: "I'm sure I haven't convinced him because I'm sure nobody in government is at the minute having the profoundly important debate that we need to have about how the world has changed, how the UK is at greater risk and what we need to be prepared to do in the future because the future will not replicate the comfortable recent past."

Asked to make the case for why money should be taken from other departments and given to the Ministry of Defence instead, he said: "It’s very straightforward.

“The risk today and more so in the future is that countries like Russia and China already have capability that could hold the UK homeland at military risk at very short notice.

"We can't really deal with that and we also run the risk in the future that British citizens or friends abroad will be in great jeopardy, they would need military help and we would have removed the ability to help them and our place in the world would be much diminished and we would be at risk.”

Philip Hammond, the Chancellor Credit: Mary Turner/Reuters
Sir Richard said the size of the UK's army must not shrink below its current level and that investment is needed in other areas.


He said: “I think the army of 82,000 plus a strong reserve of 30,000 is a good place to start. I don’t believe it can be any smaller. Below 82,000 is a problem but it is not the core issue.

“The core issue is what equipment does that Army have and how do you get it to the places it needs to be to do the things it must do.”

Sir Richard insisted the UK needed to “think about defence in its historically normal context of being prepared for wars of necessity where public opinion demands action”.

“We have to be part of what is a more unstable and difficult world,” he said.

“We cannot preclude in the future the necessity with allies of acting to protect our vital national interests - that’s not like an Iraq or Afghanistan.”

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[pakchewcheng]

ROTFFLMFAOLKITA ! ! !

 

[KuanTi01]

I thought everyone including UK is worried about China?