British Armed Forces Thread

Chinese Naval Ships to Visit Portsmouth, UK | Naval Today
January 9, 2015


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Three Chinese Naval ships will arrive in Portsmouth next week for a formal visit aimed at enhancing military understanding between the UK and China.Chinese Ambassador Liu Xiaoming and hundreds of UK-based Chinese residents will welcome the ships into the city’s Naval Base on Monday (January 12).Heading the task group is the assault ship Chang Bai Shan, accompanied by the frigate Yun Cheng and the replenishment ship Chaohu. Chang Bai Shan will fire a 21-gun salute as she approaches the entrance to Portsmouth Harbour and a response will be fired from Fort Blockhouse, Gosport.

The ships’ last port of call was Salalah in Oman and on leaving Portsmouth they will head for Kiel in Germany.
During the five-day visit, senior officers from both Navies will discuss various maritime topics including recent counter-piracy operations across the Indian Ocean.Ambassador Liu Xiaoming said: “The Chinese Naval ships will be visiting the UK after they have finished a counter-piracy escort mission in the waters of the Gulf of Aden. This will be the third visit to the UK by Chinese Naval ships, and the largest one.“It is a significant event in China-UK relations and exchange between the two militaries at the beginning of 2015. It will be a visit of peace, friendship and cooperation. It will further deepen the exchanges and cooperation between the two militaries, and push forward the comprehensive development of the China-UK relations.”

Commodore Jeremy Rigby, Naval Base Commander, said: “We are looking forward to welcoming our Chinese visitors to the operational home of the Royal Navy. As with our ship visits abroad, these events are not only of great diplomatic significance, but also very useful militarily given that we share similar global challenges including counter-piracy, preventing conflict, protecting our citizens overseas and supporting UN peacekeeping efforts.”

Crew members from all three vessels will be given tours of local attractions including HMS Victory, HMS Warrior and the Mary Rose and they’ll also be shown around the Royal Navy’s newest warship – Type 45 destroyer HMS Duncan.The two nations will also compete in badminton and basketball matches at HMS Temeraire in Portsmouth – the Navy’s home of physical training.The ships leave Portsmouth on January 16.

 

Stunning images emerge of RAF Typhoons flying over Grand Canyon en-route to Nevada, United States (10/01/2015)





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Babcock bid to build British polar research ship
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Babcock has confirmed it is bidding to construct the new UK polar flagship at its shipyard in Appledore, North Devon. In April 2014, chancellor George Osborne announced that the Government had set aside more than £200 million for a new UK polar flagship. The new ship, which is currently unnamed, will allow researchers to travel deeper into the Arctic and Antarctic, deploy unmanned submarines, operate helicopters and and have extensive onboard laboratories. It is also expected it will service bases in the British Antarctic Territory. The new vessel, which will be operated by the Natural Environment Research Council, will be ready for its first science mission in 2019.

 

Ultra Electronics awarded Royal Navy Sonar contract
08/01/2015​

Ultra Electronics, based in Greenford, Middlesex, has been awarded a £27m contract for the Royal Navy’s Sonar 2050 Technology Refresh Programme. Under this contract, which will be executed over the next 10 years, the Group will deliver and support new hull mounted sonars for eight Type-23 frigates. The S2050 Technology Refresh programme will deliver a world leading sonar capability providing persistent surveillance against submarine and torpedo threats, at a significantly lower through-life cost. Ultra’s capability in sonar leverages technologies from a number of recent overseas wins. The Group is able to offer this advanced system as a low risk solution to the Royal Navy.

Rakesh Sharma, Chief Executive of Ultra commented: “I am very pleased that Ultra has been awarded the Sonar 2050 Technology Refresh contract. This is a significant opportunity and it demonstrates Ultra’s continuing ability to supply and support cutting edge sonar systems to the Royal Navy. We look forward to working with the DE&S team on this programme.”

 

F-35 gun problem rumours unfounded
09/01/2015

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You may have seen some articles over the last few weeks that claim that the F-35’s gun will not work until 2020 or that its optical targeting system is obsolete.The following is a statement from Joe DellaVedova, the F-35 JPO spokesman, and should dispel the baseless rumours:

“Greetings: Hope your year is starting off well. If you have a moment, I’d like to help clear the air on some nameless/sourceless/baseless reporting you may have seen over the holidays that focused on two issues – the F-35 gun and EOTS. The information is below is a bit long, but it presents the facts and can be used on the record if you decide to write more informed articles.

Contrary to recent media misreporting, F-35 25mm gun system (also known as GAU-22) was established in 2005 as a Block 3F weapon for all F-35 variants and its capability will be delivered in 3F software in 2017 (on LRIP 9 aircraft).

The General Dynamics GAU-22 gun system completed its ground qualification testing in July 2008. Comprehensive flight test on the F-35A variant GAU-22 25mm gun system is scheduled to begin mid-year at Edwards AFB, Calif., and will include ground fire tests, muzzle calibration, flight test integration and in-flight operational tests. The 25mm missionized gun pod carried externally, centerline mounted on the F-35B and F-35C also begins testing this year to deliver the 3F full warfighting capability software in 2017.

In December 2014 during computer lab tests of 3F software we identified a minor low-level issue with aircraft software that impacted the interface with the gun. This discovery was part of normal software development and testing and a plan is in place to resolve this issue by Spring 2015. There is no anticipated impact to scheduled Gun testing or fielding.

The F-35 program remains in its developmental phase and as software and capabilities are tested and cleared through rigorous flight testing those capabilities are delivered to the warfighter.

In 2015, for its IOC, the U.S. Marine Corps will receive initial warfighting capability software (known as 2B) that will provide basic close air support and interdiction and initial air-to-air and enhanced data-link capability, for weapons including AMRAAM/JDAM/GBU-12, all internally carried. The U.S. Air Force will attain its IOC in 2016 with the 3i software and same weapons capability. At the end of the development program, we will deliver full warfighting capability software (known as 3F). The U.S. Navy will attain IOC in 2018 with 3F software. This will provide all warfighters with multi-ship destruction of enemy air defense capability, advance air-to-ground and air-to-air capability and have full complement of internal and external ordnance — including use of the GAU-22 25mm gun. Delivering the gun capability in 3F software is well-known to the military services, International Partners and our Foreign Military Sales (FMS) customers.

That has always been the stated requirement and plan and it hasn’t varied since the technical baseline review in 2010.”

 

A pair of Royal Air Force Tornado GR4 aircraft performing a display at RAF Coningsby in Lincolnshire.

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The Tornado GR4 is a two-seat, all-weather, day/night attack and reconnaissance aircraft. It has been in service with the RAF for more than 30 years, but a combination of major upgrade programmes and numerous continual enhancements has kept the aircraft amongst the forefront of all attack aircraft.Still one of the very few aircraft in the world that is able to operate at low level, day or night and in poor weather, the Tornado is now equipped with a modern precision-guided weapons suite and world-class reconnaissance sensors such as the Reconnaissance Airborne Pod for Tornado (RAPTOR). The aircraft also carries the Litening III Advanced Targeting Pod, which is used in both attack and reconnaissance roles.The RAF has had Tornados deployed to the Middle East region for more than 20 years – further proof of the versatility and capability of this exceptional aircraft.

 

Royal Marines storm beach as part of Exercise Sea Snake
09/12/14​

With less than a week to go before they arrive back in the UK for Christmas HMS Bulwark’s embarked Royal Marines put on a showstopper by storming a beach in Gibraltar. Exercise Sea Snake saw commandos from Charlie Company 40 Commando and 4 Assault Squadron Royal Marines (ASRM) land on East Beach in Gibraltar for a routine wader exercise. The exercise involved personnel landing ashore from the Fleet Flagship HMS Bulwark and Royal Fleet Auxiliary Lyme Bay, testing their unique skills required for amphibious operations. The Marines went ashore on offshore raiding craft as well as landing craft capable of carrying commandos and heavy vehicles, tanks and supplies.

Royal Marines storm beach as part of Exercise Sea Snake | Royal Navy





















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Royal Navy’s Commando Helicopter Force on their future capabilities

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JSS Karel Doorman, RFA Argus Perform Uncommon RAS | Naval Today​

JSS Karel Doorman, the Netherlands Navy’s Joint Support Ship, conducted replenishment-at-sea (RAS) with Royal Navy’s RFA Argus.The two ships met off the coast of Freetown, Sierra Leone, and engaged in an unusual RAS. During supply operations the vessels are normally positioned next to each other, sailing in the same direction. In this case, both vessel had only the right side of the ship available for RAS.Supported by Dynamic Positioning System and anchor, the vessels safely undertook the operation transferring 550 tons of fuel.

 

RAF Mildenhall welcomes Bell Boeing CV-22 Ospreys 12/10/2015





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Clearing a Village: Exercise in Norfolk, UK
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U.S. Air Force special tactics Airmen board a CV-22 Osprey leaving a simulated village previously under attack during a training exercise with the British Army troops at Stanford Training Area near Thetford, UK. The exercise was designed to familiarize special tactics Airmen with combat scenarios preparing them for real-world incidents.

 

UK Royal Navy submariners take part in week-long fire-fighting exercise

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Submariners from the UK Royal Navy's submarine service have successfully completed a week-long fire-fighting exercise.During the exercise, submariners assembled on HMS Raleigh in Torpoint, UK, for intensive instruction-theory in the classroom, with practical exercises in the adjacent fire trainer.Personnel also went through mock-ups of a galley, bunk and mess decks, as well as engine and manoeuvring rooms.HMS Triumph WO Pete Farrell said: "Prevention is the best cure; you don't want a fire on a submarine.

 

BAE signs US Navy's Aegis support contract - Naval Technology​

BAE Systems has signed a contract with the US Navy to deliver critical system engineering, integration and testing support for its Aegis combat system.Initially valued at $23m, the five-year agreement comes with an overall price of $120m.As part of the Aegis technical representative engineering support services contract, BAE Systems will provide system development, integration, engineering and maintenance support.BAE Systems Intelligence and Security sector president DeEtte Gray said: "Our Aegis system engineering experts have been working side-by-side with sailors for more than 40 years to modernise and strengthen the US Navy's fleet of Aegis-equipped surface ships.

 

Two or four missiles and 1,2,3 bombs in the middle or only six missiles(maybe in Jas 39-E/F) is perfect war machine.