South Korean warship sunk (updated)

A South Korean naval patrol vessel has sunk near to the border with North Korea. An unexplained explosion is said to have ripped through the hull of the Cheonan, a Pohang class corvette which carried 100 crew 58 of whom have been reported to have been rescued.

At the moment the cause of the explosion is unknown, a torpedo attack from a DPRK vessel is one possibility though at the moment the south is playing this down but an emergency meeting of the south's security council has been called.

Update : South Korea has ruled out any involvement by North Korea in the loss of the corvette though as yet do not know what caused the explosion. 46 crew men are still missing.

Briefings (07/01/10) : Airport security, Streetfighter, FX-2

Information Dissemination looks the "Streetfighter 2010" concept.The Brazilian Air Force has completed it's technical evaluation of the various contenders for it's FX-2 project though not officially released the findings yet, unconfirmed reports state that the Gripen comes out on top in the evaluation.

London Heathrow, in the wake of the underpants bombing scare, expects to deploy body scanners in a few weeks time though the Guardian reports that body scanners may break child pornography laws!

MOD Police name new launches

The MOD Police have christened their 2 Island class launches Gigha and Jura. The 2 launches provide protection to the Clyde naval base. The launches use water jet technology for agility and to stop cutting protesters to ribbons in the water with propellers.

Argus goes to refit

The Royal Navy Fleet Auxiliary and UK Primary Casualty Receiving Facility RFA Argus has begun it's latest refit and will have it's medical facilities upgraded including new "CT scanning equipment, used to assess casualties by 3D X-ray imagery, as well as new sterilising kit". Argus will also become "greener" with the sewage handling and air conditioning systems upgraded to use more environmentally friendly gases. Crew accommodation will also be improved in the £23 million refit.

MOD & RN hit by computer virus

A number of Ministry of Defence systems have been infected by a computer virus including the admin networks aboard Royal Navy warships. NavyStar (N*) is the system infected, luckily it doesn't do anything too dangerous like launch Trident missiles but is used for "storekeeping, email and similar support functions". The virus was likely transferred as "N* ship nets connect to wider networks by shore connection when vessels are in harbour and using satcomms when at sea". The major impact has been the loss of the e-mail service which sailors use to keep in touch with family and friends.


Don't worry lads, this is fine. (Bridge controls from HMS Cumberland)

The MOD said "no command or operational systems had been affected". So now accidental nuclear war then. That's good. The RAF has also been affected.

Updates to Navy's frigates and destroyers

Type 42 destroyer HMS Liverpool will live on for another 4 years after a £6 million contract was signed to maintain her.



Meanwhile Type 23 HMS Montrose will receive a new command system, DNA(2), which is based on the system employed on the new Type 45s and relays sensor and tactical information to the crew and to "direct weapon engagements" (shoot the guns and missiles in other words). The ship will also receive the Seawolf mid-life update. The ship's small calibre guns and IT system will also be upgraded.

Common missile launcher component for next generation UK and US SSBNs

General Dynamics Electric Boat Corporation has been contracted to design a Common Missile Compartment (CMC) for the Vanguard replacement SSBNs for the Royal Navy and the USN's Ohio replacement. Both future boats are to use the same Trident missile so it makes sense to pool design costs, the CMC will design the missile tubes and launch systems for the goodies that will be carried in those tubes.



Although both navy's current SSBN fleets won't need replacing until the 2020s the work needs to begin now to develop the next generation, hopefully the mess-up that has surrounded the Astute programme won't happen again.

Endurance engine room flooded

HMS Endurance has suffered an engine flood whilst off the coast of Chile and has been left without main power or propulsion. The flooding has been stopped though and the ship is currently anchored in the Strait of Magellan. The Chilean Navy is assisting including evacuating a civilian film crew. The cause of the flooding is currently being investigated.

Daring to be handed over to Royal Navy

The first Type 45 destroyer HMS Daring will be handed over to the Royal Navy next month after successfully completing sea trials.

First Sea Lord threatens to resign over FAA

The First Sea Lord Admiral Sir Jonathon Band, the head of the Royal Navy, is threatening to resign over RAF plans to "get rid of" the Fleet Air Arm. The RAF are trying to save money by scrapping the 75 Harriers in the joint-force shared between the RAF and RN early in 2013. The RAF is arguing that most military operations in the next decade are going to be over Afghanistan so carrier-borne aircraft are not needed. A decade is an epoch in international affairs though. Scrapping the Harriers 5 years early would save £1 billion apparently.

Falklands left "undefended"

The Falklands are being left undefended by any RN warship for the first time since the Falklands War in 1982 apparently. A RFA ship will be there instead (i thought HMS Endurance is at South Georgia too annoying the penguins plus don't forget HMS Clyde, the ..er.. Falklands patrol ship). The lack of a warship though is cited as the result of the run down of the RN to just 22 destroyers and frigates which means, with only a third of the fleet available at any one time, there simply arn't enough ships available to cover commitments. This is where the patrol boat the C3 is badly needed though as a frigate or destroyer is probably overkill for the Falklands job. RFA Largs Bay is the ship that is there instead.


2 of the Tornadoes currently based at the Falklands

Before we go too over the top though lets remind ourselves that the Falklands, even with forces reduced as they are now, are still far better defended now than they were in 1982. And if you think the RN has suffered over the years just wait till you see the current state of the Argentinian armed forces.

Pic of a penguin

On a more light-hearted note while reading the Jack Speak RN blog site i came across this story of HMS Endurance in South Georgia with this rather endearing picture. Looks like a great place to be, even though i do hate the cold!

CVF to be delayed

The government are out to save money again (well the country is hurtling towards bankruptcy anyway so why bother?) The new aircraft carriers due to arrive in 2014 and 2016 may now be delayed for a year or two. JSF is already going to delayed so this might not be too big a problem considering Harrier will be on it's last legs by the end of the next decade there might not be any aircraft around anyway. The scary thing is what else might be in the "cost cutting plans". Future Lynx apparently will survive but may be cut in numbers "slightly".

Protester Removal Team (PRT) vehicle

The MOD police at HM Naval Base Clyde have taken delivery of a specially designed Protester Removal Team (PRT) vehicle. Its apparently not just an everyday patrol vehicle but optimised for countering the blockade tactics of protesters. Unfortunately it does not seem to be covered in spikes or have tear gas cannister launchers.



Instead "[I]t has an electrical inverter which powers tools without the need for a generator, purpose-built storage racks and an array of external spotlights to illuminate the area around the scene of an incident. It will be a great advantage to our team and will help keep the base free from disruption and better able to achieve our day-to-day business." I feel somewhat disappointed.

Sapienta Vincit Tenebras

A little known part of the Royal Navy is 792 squadron, responsible for aerial targets (though i have covered UK aerial targets before). This article on Navy News offers a glimpse into the squadron's work. The title of this blog posting? Its the squadron's motto, which means "Wisdom Conquers Darkness". Indeed.



More information on the Mirach 100/5 as used by 792 (and pictured above) is here.

Vanguard could serve longer

Already the RN's Vanguard fleet of SSBNs have had their service lives extended from 25 years to 30 because of delays in designing and building a replacement now that could be extended further if there are more delays. The NAO says the current timetable is already challenging and if Astute-style delays occur then the Vanguard boats may have to stick around until later in the 2020s. Currently the fleet is due to start being withdrawn around 2023. The MOD are not counting on it but are looking to see what the implications might be. So it'll probably happen then.

UK to buy 3 JSF for carrier trials

The UK is expected to buy 3 early production F-35s for a joint test team for initial operational test and evaluation (IOT&E). The UK is already preparing for when it embarks F-35Bs on it's new carriers, the CVF, which will begin building next year. HMS Illustrious is currently host to the VAAC Harrier (below) testbed to help develop a rolling vertical take off technique for the future JSF fleet.



An 11 day "visualisation and experimentation exercise" has recently been concluded to simulate the operation of the JSF on the CVF (say that 3 times fast, while drunk). The exercise saw 8-12 sorties "performed" a day to see how operations could be sustained with the type. This apparently allowed BAE to "de-risk" the applications, oh how i love that word de-risk!

28 more years of Type 23s

A parliamentary answer by Bob Ainsworth, the Minister of Defence, has revealed the planned out-of-service dates for the Royal Navy's fleet of Type 22 and 23 frigates and they are going to around for longer than was thought. The Type 22s are now due for retirement between 2019 (HMS Cornwall) and 2022 (HMS Chatham) and the Type 23s between 2023 (HMS Argyll) and 2036 (HMS St Albans). Which means we have 28 more years of the Type 23 to come, personally as its my favourite ship i am not complaining about it!


HMS Cornwall, 11 years to go

As both types are going to be around for some time yet we can expect updates to their armaments and sensors in the years to come. Seawolf will be replaced by a new missile, the CAMM around 2018 (so the Type 23s are likely to receive it). The Type 23s are already due to receive / are receiving the BAE Systems Insyte Artisan 3D Radar.

Indeed HMS Sutherland has just completed a refit and update which includes improved radar and sonar and Seawolf Mid-life Update.

Royal Navy to lead EU armada against pirates

An EU fleet under British command will, next month begin to tackle the piracy problem off the horn of Africa. The EU fleet, Operation Atalanta, will be led by HMS Northumberland though the rest of the fleet is currently unknown though should include ships from 10 countries. Originally the fleet was going to protect aid ships but now it will have a beefed up mandate and EU defence chiefs will work out rules of engagement. Presumably that means they shouldn't be too mean to the pirates who are merely misunderstood.


Merlin and Northumberland's helipad

Meanwhile pirates captured earlier by HMS Cumberland have been handed over to the Kenyan police. HMS Cumberland and RFA Wave Knight (which delivered the pirates to the Kenyan Old Bill) are in the region and so one assumes they will also be part of "Atalanta".

Time for the media & public to ask about the Royal Navy

The timing was perfect, the story of the hijacked oil tanker off Kenya appearing in the same bulletin as news that the largest LNG tanker yet has arrived at the UK and will form an important future part of our energy supply. The timing perfect as hopefully many people would be able to add 2 to 2 and make 5. If tankers loaded full of energy from the Middle East are to be part of our energy future then surely it would be a bad thing if they are hijacked en route right? Well hopefully it was a brief thought before attention changed to Strictly Come Sequins.



And maybe members of the public might now think about the Royal Navy and whether it is capable of protecting our energy shipments. So the time has come for the media to reveal the state of the surface fleet, how much it has declined in numbers under Labour and to ask if it can still meet the needs of our future security and whether it is ready for it's vital future role (now of course i know and you should know it has always been vital but i fear the mass of the public do not appreciate that and think all those goods on the shelves of Tesco appear by magic from the far off lands where they are grown/made).

This would require politicians and the public taking defence seriously however. Which tends to only happen when something bad has happened and the horse has already bolted. Some people have also expressed the opinion that the money spent on the navy and projects like CVF was wasted and that money should instead be spent on the troops fighting in AFghanistan and Iraq currently. OK back onto X Factor then, truly important matters.