tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-442909239199162925.post1980136981519165944..comments2024-02-29T11:45:01.870+01:00Comments on UK Armed Forces Commentary: The huge issues in the Integrated Review Gabrielehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01623558391676151582noreply@blogger.comBlogger19125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-442909239199162925.post-56529797193043281442021-02-20T16:10:25.154+01:002021-02-20T16:10:25.154+01:00I don't know if the HMG itself is included in ...I don't know if the HMG itself is included in the contract. I suspect not in this specific contract; but i also suspect they'll have to acquire new HMGs and also GMGs (apparently about 50% of frontline Boxers will have GMG). Also, some turrets should eventually get JAVELIN, but there's no telling how many yet. The weapons will probably be acquired separately, i suspect. <br /><br />As for the 76mm SOVRAPONTE, it is certainly an interesting derivative of the world-famous Oto Melara 76mm family. <br /><br />Gabrielehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01623558391676151582noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-442909239199162925.post-21591905718156171592021-02-20T16:00:39.082+01:002021-02-20T16:00:39.082+01:00Hi gabi,
The recent rws contract announced...Hi gabi,<br /> The recent rws contract announced for boxer, does that include .50 cal mg's as well?. <br />Perhaps you could explain as well about then new leonardo 76mm naval gun, non penetrating, ideal for up gunning the river class<br /><br />Many thanksAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-442909239199162925.post-61468898387378235232020-12-26T16:29:18.423+01:002020-12-26T16:29:18.423+01:00Hello there.
I don't know. Maybe i will durin...Hello there. <br />I don't know. Maybe i will during january, if i have a chance to. But save for a few updates, i don't think much has changed from what i've written in this piece and in the one i wrote back at the end of 2019. Gabrielehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01623558391676151582noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-442909239199162925.post-56366527885189891932020-12-26T09:36:49.477+01:002020-12-26T09:36:49.477+01:00Good morning Gabriele,
With the integrated review ...Good morning Gabriele,<br />With the integrated review slated to come out shortly are you going to do an article about what you think it's going to say, and perhaps then do a compare and contrast afterwards?J.T.noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-442909239199162925.post-51602391927110622182020-11-09T16:02:47.026+01:002020-11-09T16:02:47.026+01:00Gab, since you are my go to expert on contemporary...Gab, since you are my go to expert on contemporary British military, I have a question to ask. Why some of RAF flying squadrons use Arabic numerals while other use Roman numerals? It's kind awkward and confusing. Joe123https://www.blogger.com/profile/10128982137368716954noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-442909239199162925.post-20819469864673850962020-10-26T19:19:39.186+01:002020-10-26T19:19:39.186+01:00A single square brigade seems to be the new fashio...A single square brigade seems to be the new fashion. Probably the army hopes to get more money for STRIKE to pursue a switch from 2 armd bdes + 1 STRIKE on deployment to 1 + 2 to save face as best it can. <br />It might still take on a worse turn again, with Rishi's stunt over the Spending Review potentially plunging the whole country into lack of future. <br /><br />The 432 story is impossible to even comment, at this point. STRIKE has well and truly fucked up the Army, as was easily foreseen. <br /><br />Thanks, by the way. I'm... okay, i guess. Just very busy and tired with the job and everything else. And really frustrated by this Review bullshit. <br /><br /><br />Gabrielehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01623558391676151582noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-442909239199162925.post-41650709142861032612020-10-26T15:36:30.927+01:002020-10-26T15:36:30.927+01:00Hi Gabriele,
I watched the Defence select committe...Hi Gabriele,<br />I watched the Defence select committee session from this week.<br />They seem to say that there will only be one armoured brigade in the future, with other brigades making up the division?<br />This armoured brigade would be a square, which I assume means 2 tank regiments and 2 armoured infantry battalions?<br />They also mentioned that the 432 will have to carry on for another 10 years! Which seems crazy to me as the Ajax variants could replace many 432?<br />Speaking to my boot neck mate, he says, the RM are going there own way, 16 man troops, US army uniforms, and there own rifles, **** the army, if they want an amphibious brigade, let them pay for it.<br />Interesting to hear Mr Tobias say why don't Ajax and Boxer have Brimstone?<br />Hope all is well with you.<br />Phil (the ex pongo)Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09327075253168873919noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-442909239199162925.post-80188713769019408902020-09-19T18:59:36.572+02:002020-09-19T18:59:36.572+02:00You are playing devil's advocate and dismissin...You are playing devil's advocate and dismissing past successes. Let's also dismiss past failures and look at what the MoD is doing now. Overall the equipment plan is unaffordable but keeps within budget each year by stretching schedules and quietly dropping projects not under contract. Within that, about 50% of major projects are on time. I can't give Tempest 100% but I think it will be one of the 50%.PaulSergeanthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04668398532455852427noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-442909239199162925.post-20907332358189377072020-09-19T14:58:51.959+02:002020-09-19T14:58:51.959+02:00Again I hope you are right and I am wrong at the e...Again I hope you are right and I am wrong at the end of the day. I truly wish UK has a successful program at last after so many fiasco when comes to defense acquisition. Personally I have zero confidence in MoD. Past acquisition successes don’t mean jack. UK is better off with an ots solution. The Franco-German collab has a much higher chance of success.Joe123https://www.blogger.com/profile/10128982137368716954noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-442909239199162925.post-29098887013885012142020-09-19T13:16:20.616+02:002020-09-19T13:16:20.616+02:00For my part, I expect Tempest will deliver. I rem...For my part, I expect Tempest will deliver. I remember EAP (Experimental Aircraft Programme) that led to Typhoon. EAP was privately funded by British Aerospace, Tempest has the advantage of government funding from the start.<br /><br />I don't know what you think is the UK overall military objective. From SDSR 2015 an objective was to have a warfighting division to deploy. Currently an armoured battle group is deployed in Estonia facing the Russian army, although not the whole Russian army of course. The 6th Army has 2 motor rifle brigades, 1 north of St Petersburg facing Finland and 1 to the west facing Estonia. If the UK battle group was increased, not to a warfighting division but just to a brigade, then 1 Regiment of 56 MBT's would make a difference against the 1 battalion of 31 MBT's in the Russian brigade. PaulSergeanthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04668398532455852427noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-442909239199162925.post-77239712773559480262020-09-18T16:28:21.570+02:002020-09-18T16:28:21.570+02:00Let me play devil's advocate here. First, I hi...Let me play devil's advocate here. First, I highly doubt TEMPEST will ever be fulfilled. Mark my word here and let's hope I am wrong on this one. <br />I also don't share this obsession of holding onto a tiny fleet of MBT. What good is that for UK overall military objective? Realistically who believe UK's contribution of heavy armor will a difference anyway, against Russia? Give me a break.Joe123https://www.blogger.com/profile/10128982137368716954noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-442909239199162925.post-17965698033733331642020-09-02T15:00:13.688+02:002020-09-02T15:00:13.688+02:00Re split buy for F35. My understanding is that the...Re split buy for F35. My understanding is that there is only about 20% commonality with the F35A; in essence it would be a new aircraft to the RAF, and one which needs boom air to air refuelling rather than probe and drogue of the F35B. Funny old thing, when the RAF bought the Voyager, it was without the boom to save money.Seadoghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02433419240468614841noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-442909239199162925.post-67597499795703656762020-09-01T19:34:17.325+02:002020-09-01T19:34:17.325+02:00Warrior CSP is forecast to be 52 months late and 2...Warrior CSP is forecast to be 52 months late and 227 million pounds over budget. The Infrastucture and Projects Authority assessment is red. What may eventually arrive has weaknesses. I have thought perhaps a reduced scope could get something back from the money already spent, Maybe enough vehicles for 2 battle groups with the 2 armoured regiments. But no, I think the small numbers would not be worth the training and logistics costs. It is time to end Warrior CSP.<br /><br />The army has chosen Boxer and although it is expensive, that is where the money should go. The Boxer order is basically APC,s. There are no turreted versions (in the UK order. I thought that was a mistake but that is were we are. There way to go, I agree, is to order some turreted versions, mix these into the planned battalions, and use the released APC's to form more battalions with more of the turreted versions. My assumptions get to 2 more battalions, 6 in total.PaulSergeanthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04668398532455852427noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-442909239199162925.post-78356972392374316112020-08-31T16:14:58.773+02:002020-08-31T16:14:58.773+02:00Regarding F-35, I agree with you 100%. I don't...Regarding F-35, I agree with you 100%. I don't have an optimistic take on Tempest, however. Its overly ambitious and will most likely end up way over budget and behind schedule if not getting canned outright. Just mark my work today and lets see how it plays out. I will be gladly to admit I am wrong if they can get it done successfully.<br /><br />On the other hand, I see no future for MBT in UK service. Already a niche capability and almost obsolete platform, it's not logical to commit substantial resources on CR2 upgrade while your pocket is already tight and is getting tighter. NATO does need UK contributions in areas of her expertise: airlift, in flight refuel, ASW, etc. Money needs to be spent wisely.<br />I would be delight to see Boxer as a replacement for Warrior in IFV role. Upgunning Boxer with a medium cal weapon plus ATGM ensures British medium forces with sufficient firepower to fend off potential enemy armored formation. Less demanding roles can be offload to MRV-P. My preference would be French Griffon/Serval VBMR combo. GDUK's offering of Eagle 6x6/4x4 is also intriguing as parts/logistic commonality goes. Joe123https://www.blogger.com/profile/10128982137368716954noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-442909239199162925.post-12398458432413473002020-08-31T13:09:31.940+02:002020-08-31T13:09:31.940+02:00CR2 LEP should go ahead, in my view, but CR2 LEP +...CR2 LEP should go ahead, in my view, but CR2 LEP + lethality enhancement should not. CR2 LEP+ is more than was required and undoubtedly would cost more. The MoD went into an extended assessment of the enhanced capability. That assessment may be due to finish soon, may already have finished. It would not be out of character not to admit that the capability can not be afforded. Then a few scare stories are put out to try to scare up some more money. It is possible that the Army has laid its head in the guillotine and could lose MBTs with all the implications that follow. That would require a policy decision, an honest announcement at political level. More likely is more of the same. The CR2 OSD will be quietly extended, the reliability, numbers available, and capability in a modern environment will decline, and a new world be promised for Army 2035.PaulSergeanthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04668398532455852427noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-442909239199162925.post-37003521593695102622020-08-30T21:15:13.686+02:002020-08-30T21:15:13.686+02:00Gabriele, you have 3 subjects so I will think thro...Gabriele, you have 3 subjects so I will think through 3 comments.<br /><br />Firstly the F-35B will B what it will B. There are no prospects for immediate savings and longer term you have a good evaluation of what would be good.PaulSergeanthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04668398532455852427noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-442909239199162925.post-13461606679438680452020-08-30T14:58:59.986+02:002020-08-30T14:58:59.986+02:00I have read with great interest your observations ...I have read with great interest your observations over the last decade and above all it is the farce that is the CR2/Warrior upgrade (and the general vehcile upgrade mess) which has most astounded. <br /><br /> The current CDS has presided over this entire 'powerpoint' incompetence. The army has only itself to blame on this one. We need two deployable divisions, one armour, preferbaly three brigades, and one coherent, fully realised 'strike' of two brigades - no mixing of wheel and track, with armoured forward deployed. (A further independent Air Assault brigade, and my innovative Coin/Urban Warfare brigade to give purpose to the 'light' infantry ) How difficult is that to plan, form and operate. We were discussing this in 2010, and we are no nearer ... and meanwhile billions have been spent with nothing to show for it. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-442909239199162925.post-7994104069464319312020-08-30T14:51:47.156+02:002020-08-30T14:51:47.156+02:00You can't directly compare cargo and ISR plane...You can't directly compare cargo and ISR planes with fast jets, though. While it would obviously be nice to have more, their output is completely different. Take Rivet Joint: the US and RAF have 20 in total between them, 17 + 3. But you don't deploy squadrons of them. Generation of cargo aircraft is also very much a single-plane job. Multiple planes generated from a Sqn are a normal and entirely acceptable output. <br /><br />But fighter jets need to be deployed in numbers to be able to function, and to have a 4-ship in the air you have to have others on the ground, and others still back home. Gabrielehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01623558391676151582noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-442909239199162925.post-64540336749785173712020-08-30T14:38:28.055+02:002020-08-30T14:38:28.055+02:00Read the first section on F35 and as always you ma...Read the first section on F35 and as always you make a lot of sense. One point I would make is that a significant number of RAF aircraft are of a fleet size of little more than a squadron - all the ISTAR aircraft, C-17, P-8, C -130 - so the 'too small to be sustainable..." So , yes, argument is often used when convenient to justify the culling, yet , on other occasions RAF muddle on... Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com