tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-442909239199162925.post3268327513689703054..comments2024-02-29T11:45:01.870+01:00Comments on UK Armed Forces Commentary: Towards SCAVENGERGabrielehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01623558391676151582noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-442909239199162925.post-68335438290102826942012-07-20T17:58:13.329+02:002012-07-20T17:58:13.329+02:00Weird. That should not happen... possibly Blogger ...Weird. That should not happen... possibly Blogger is having some issues in the last few days. Hopefully it'll get fixed soon.Gabrielehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01623558391676151582noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-442909239199162925.post-14910943338376693662012-07-20T17:26:05.901+02:002012-07-20T17:26:05.901+02:00Gabriele
Don't know why my messages are being...Gabriele<br /><br />Don't know why my messages are being sent twice. When I try to leave your site, a message appears giving me the choice of "Resend" or "Cancel". I have been pressing "Cancel" and this has always worked previously but maybe I am doing the wrong thing.MikeWnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-442909239199162925.post-86966764021964061852012-07-20T16:02:03.109+02:002012-07-20T16:02:03.109+02:00No, in fact operational deployment on Herrick has ...No, in fact operational deployment on Herrick has been delayed again. I don't know what is the new planned date, if it'll be early next year, or if there is still some hope for a deployment before year's end.Gabrielehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01623558391676151582noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-442909239199162925.post-11610103986044856612012-07-20T15:59:45.349+02:002012-07-20T15:59:45.349+02:00Gabriele
Just saw this headline on the Janes'...Gabriele<br /><br />Just saw this headline on the Janes' site (under Jane's International Review")(dated 16th July):<br /><br />"Certification holds back Watchkeeper deployment"<br />followed by this " Certification and release-to-service clearance are holding back the operational deployment of the British Army's Watchkeeper unmanned aircraft systems, according to industry representatives."<br /><br />Frustrating, because I am not a subscriber to Jane's and couldn't get any further. Not quite there yet then.MikeWnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-442909239199162925.post-7077014818978783282012-07-19T23:30:53.094+02:002012-07-19T23:30:53.094+02:00Look forwards to it, then.Look forwards to it, then.Gabrielehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01623558391676151582noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-442909239199162925.post-259853715112083082012-07-19T23:30:32.318+02:002012-07-19T23:30:32.318+02:00Well, thanks for all that information. Haven'...Well, thanks for all that information. Haven't really got time to to assimilte it tonight but might get back to you on it.MikeWnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-442909239199162925.post-39774226664758246162012-07-19T23:29:33.855+02:002012-07-19T23:29:33.855+02:00Well, thanks for all that information. Haven'...Well, thanks for all that information. Haven't really got time to to assimilte it tonight but might get back to you on it.MikeWnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-442909239199162925.post-85939180347208157062012-07-19T23:09:14.656+02:002012-07-19T23:09:14.656+02:00Of course Watchkeeper is a drone with some tough r...Of course Watchkeeper is a drone with some tough requirements in terms of basing. Launch is not a problem, but recovery is a whole different matter. <br />However, it should be well within the Royal Engineer's capability to level a 40 meters wide, 1200 meters long strip of desert or flat land. <br />The rough field capability of Watchkeeper should do the rest, and eventually there is always trackways and deployable runway mats that can be used to set up a suitable FOB. <br /><br />Sure, it is an obvious added complication and risk, but arguably manageable. You'd be surprised by the solutions that exist today for building quite huge airfields in little time and with very limited manpower. <br />There are deployable helicopter pads that can literally be unrolled on the ground by a team of 3 men. <br /><br />Here you'll find a bit of an overview of some of the most recent options, as used by the USMC: http://www.special-operations-technology.com/sotech-home/242-sotech-2010-volume-8-issue-3-april-2010/2814-expeditionary-airfields.html<br /><br />And anyway, if there are not 1200 meters available for Watchkeeper drones, it means you are in trouble with all the rest of your air support as well, so we can say that the drone is just part of a much bigger problem that (hopefully) the RE will continue to be able to manage via the 2 "Theatre Support" regiments of Army 2020.<br />Currently, such air support capabilities are grouped in 39 Regiment RE, plus a couple of TA regiments, but it appears very likely that such abilities will "spread" on to 36 Regiment as well, as the two regiments expand their roles post 2015 to wider Theatre-entry support roles. <br /><br /><br />As far as i'm aware, the Vikings ordered for Watchkeeper are definitely confirmed. They are unlikely to be affected by the issue to Afghan-veteran vehicles, as they have never been deployed so far and are new. Should have nothing to spare with the Afghanistan vehicles. <br />Indeed, i do not believe the ROyal Marines are left entirely without vehicles: it is those that were flogged to death and overloaded with additional armor for Herrick that make up the issue. <br /><br />As to the ground control station on IMMLC, you might remember that one of the few good news of the Army yearbook 2012 was the confirmation that the MAN SV 8x8 ELPS will replace DROPS. <br />And in the Royal Artillery brief and in other graphics about Watchkeeper the GCS is installed atop a truck that very much looks like a MAN SV 8x8. <br />In the ATOLS brochure it is definitely it. I know, it does not necessarily mean anything, but transport on MAN platform is pretty much certainly the way. <br />http://www.uvs-info.com/index.php?option=com_docman&task=doc_view&gid=8137&Itemid=144 (PAGE 13)Gabrielehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01623558391676151582noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-442909239199162925.post-35710784148575616592012-07-19T22:19:06.914+02:002012-07-19T22:19:06.914+02:00Gabriele
An excellent article, detailed and well ...Gabriele<br /><br />An excellent article, detailed and well researched.<br /><br />Just two questions for the moment:<br /><br />1) I am intrigued by the question of the runway length needed for Watchkeeper. If, as you say, it is 1,200 metres. won't this be a seriously limiting factor on land as well as at sea? Now, I know that the theory runs that Watchkeeper is only ever likely to be used from within bases. I also know that the length of the runway in Camp Bastion is 3,500 metres. Hwever, Camp Bastion is one of the larger camps we have worked from in recent years - huge, in fact.<br /><br />What happens when, in a much more wide-ranging, fluid sort of war you need Watchkeeper's capabilities? Would that mean buildig runways as you go? You'd need a much larger number of Engineers to achieve that!<br /><br />2) Just a question about Watchkeeper support equipment.<br /><br />a) You say that the The Tac Group travels with all its equipment in a specially configured Viking all-terrain armoured vehicle (21 such vehicles produred). Do you know whether this Viking order has been confirmed ? I was thinking of the difficulty the Royal Marines have been facing recently over the avalability of their Vikings.<br /><br />b) I was rather puzzled by the reference to the Ground Control Station being normally carried on a DROPS Foden Improved Medium Mobility Load Carrier, I was under the impression that the DROPS were to disappear by the end of 2014. Still, some might be run on to deal with specialist loads, I suppose.MikeWnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-442909239199162925.post-3632549689194687802012-07-18T23:18:57.213+02:002012-07-18T23:18:57.213+02:00Fabulous article.Thanks for posting.Fabulous article.Thanks for posting.briani2216https://www.blogger.com/profile/10285249472874320477noreply@blogger.com