Briefings : Typhoon problems, Reaper, Brazil

• The RAF suspended all flights by its fleet of Typhoon fighters because of problems with their ejector seats. This is following the death of a Saudi pilot during the crash of a Typhoon in Spain last month when a fault was discovered with the harness in the investigation. All Typhoon operators restricted operations and now modifications have been made to the ejector seats to allow flights to resume.
• The RAF's latest Reaper has arrived in Afghanistan to support operations there. With this extra UCAV the RAF can now have multiple Reaper operations at any one time over the country.
• The Royal Marines have been conducting joint-exercises with their Brazilian counterparts off the coast of Brazil. The bounty of this co-operation could be a big order for British warships by the Brazilians who may buy the Type 26 according to some reports. France and Italy are also trying to get a piece of Brazil's plan to modernise its surface fleet.

Briefings : SDR, Ocean, Arms Sales

• The SDR mayhem continues with the RAF now apparently under threat, according to the mainstream media anyway. Seems like the sort of arguments i read in Warship World last year. According to some sources the UK is preparing to give up having a continuous nuclear deterrent and go for a "cheaper alternative". How many times must we have these arguments?
• HMS Ocean has arrived off Rio de Janeiro to take part in an amphibious operation with the Brazilian Navy and Marines. Ocean will also be taking part in a UK-Brazil trade & industry exhibition. I wonder if they'll try and flog the helicopter carrier off to the Brazilians while they are at it.
• A $60 billion arms deal between the US and Saudi Arabia has been proposed which would include F-15s, Apaches, Blackhawks and all sorts of other gear.
• Portugal could buy 6 of the new KC-390 tactical transport from Embraer. Brazil, Chile and Columbia are also likely to buy the type.
• A recent computer virus is said to have been created by a Jihadist group. A new front in the "War On Terror"?

Briefings : 6 squadron, Anti-piracy, Talent

• The RAF has unveiled its newly reformed 6 Squadron which is equipped with Typhoons. 6 Squadron's job will be to provide quick reaction alert cover for the north of the UK from next year.
• 820 Naval Air Squadron has deployed to East Africa. The squadron's Merlin helicopters are embarked aboard RFA Fort Victoria and will carry out anti-piracy operations.
• Royal Navy submarine HMS Talent has returned home following an extended spell East of Suez.
• A rare German bomber from WW2 is to be restored by the RAF Museum after being recovered from the Goodwin Sands. The Dornier Do 17 had lain in the sands for 70 years after being shot down in 1940 and is said to be in good condition, the tyres are even still inflated!
• France is still confident it can sell helicopter carriers to Russia despite the Russians throwing the tender open.
• The Chinese media is calling for more anti-carrier weapons like the DF-21D though there are doubts being raised as to the effectiveness of weapons like these.
• Making sense of Anglo-French defence rumours.

Briefings : Talent, Marines, Hawk

• RN submarine HMS Talent is taking part in war games with the Indian Navy. The Telegraph is reporting that the RN are furious at this leak of details as the whereabouts of Royal Navy ships is usually not disclosed... apart from on the many news stories published on the MOD's own website of course.
• The Royal Marines of the Fleet Protection Group has also been in training in a variety of vessels including jet-skis in rather less warm waters, the Clyde to be exact.
• Part of the RAF's Hawk trainer fleet has been grounded following problems found with the elector seat on one aircraft during an inspection. All aircraft with a Mark 10 ejector seat will not be cleared to fly until they have been inspected.
• Part of the latest Astute submarine Audacious has been moved between different parts of BAE Systems facilities in Barrow. The 800 ton section had to be moved along the road, as you can imagine it had right-of-way.
• Flight tests for the STOVL JSF fighter, which the UK will buy, are behind schedule because of a higher than expected failure rate of components.

RAF offer to scrap Nimrod and Tornado

The RAF have offered up the new Nimrod MRA4 and the Tornado GR4 fleets as a sacrifice to save billions of pounds over the long run. The cuts were offered by the RAF as part of the government's strategic defence review and would hit Scotland hard with the closure of a base and the scrapping of an expansion of another. It is thought the RAF are playing the game though as one of the Nimrods' major roles is to protect the Navy's Trident submarines and it is likely the Navy would oppose such a cut. The Tornado cut, which would be within 5 years, is more likely however as the planes would be nearing the ends of their lives by then anyway. Although their official withdrawal date is 2025 it is thought they will be out of hours some time before that.

Briefings : Brimstone, French defence cuts, Military blogging (updated)

• A new version of the Brimstone guided missile is to be tested on RAF Tornado GR4s. The tests will be carried out in 2011 to clear the missile ahead of it entering service with the RAF at a later date. The new version of Brimstone is intended for a "low-collateral, precision-attack capability deployable against manoeuvring and fixed targets in short- to medium-range close air support or counter-insurgency operations". So it should enter service just in time for our pull out from Afghanistan.
  
• France is to cut it's defence spending by 3.5 billion euros as part of it's efforts to cut it's deficit. That amounts to less than 4% of the defence budget and may be off-set by some asset sales. Current procurement programmes will not be affected it is claimed.
• The Dutch may pull out of the JSF's initial operational test and evaluation phase. Spain is reducing it's P-3 upgrade programme to just 4 aircraft.
• In comparion to recent moves by the Chinese military to ban it's personnel from blogging the British forces in Afghanistan have launched a mass blogging initiative by personnel writing regular posts from the front line. Posts have been written by personnel from the British Army, Royal Air Force and Royal Navy.
• The 1940 sinking of the British troopship Lancastria saw the loss of up to 6000 lives and is Britain's worst naval disaster yet news of the loss was suppressed at the time to not give the Germans a propaganda coup. Survivors and supporters are now trying to get the ship's resting place recognised as a war grave. 
• The first Type 45 destroyer HMS Daring is linked to the city of Birmingham (my home) apparently. City dignitaries including the Lord Mayor were given a tour of the new ship.
• Freeze the wages of public sector workers, hooray! Wait that includes 140,000 service personnel, boooo!

Briefings : MALE, Afghanistan, Serbian Typhoons?

The UK and France are to work together on technology studies for a European MALE (Medium-Altitude Long Endurance) UAV. The French are keen on a European solution as the alternative would likely be an American solution like the Reaper which the RAF already operate and which the French are considering as a stop-gap. Italy meanwhile have received their first Reapers.

The number of bomb disposal teams the British Army has deployed in Afghanistan is to be doubled to 20. The Prime Minister wants the allied action in Afganistan to be speeded up and extended to stabilise the country faster so UK forces can be withdrawn. A progress report on Afghanistan will also be published once a quarter (a good move in my view).

Serbia have expressed an interest in buying the Eurofighter Typhoon to replace their remaining Fishbeds and Fulcrums. A plan has also been drawn up for the production of 124 Tranche 3B Typhoons for the 4 partner nations. Syria is to buy Fulcrums, armoured vehicles and other weapons from Russia.

Retro Tucanos

The RAF have repainted two of it's Tucano T1 trainers in a "retro" WW2 camouflage style (the red in the roundels looks too small to me though) as part of it's effort to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the Battle of Britain. They flew in formation with one of the RAF's heritage flight's Spitfires a few days ago. I'd love to see a Typhoon repainted like this too.

Photo © Geoffrey Lee/Planefocus

Briefings : Typhoon, CVF, Defence review

BAE Systems has won a support deal with the UK, Germany and Spain for avionics on the 3 countries fleets of Typhoons worth £150 million. Meanwhile Romania is the latest export target for the Eurofighter consortium who are trying to get the government to change a planned purchase for F-16s into ex-Italian Air Force Typhoons instead.

The new UK coalition government has said the Queen Elizabeth aircraft carriers currently being built for the Royal Navy are "safe" (or built anyway). Plans to move HMS Sultan, the RN's engineering training school, from Portsmouth to Wales may also be shelved.

The new Defence Secretary meanwhile said that resources would be tight over the next few years and a Strategic Defence Review would take place. He said "the needs of our armed forces can no longer be considered in isolation from other security challenges we face".

RAF Hercules crash lands

A Hercules C1 has made a wheel up landing at RAF Brize Norton. The incident happened late last week and blocked up the runway which is the main transport hub for the British air bridge supporting operations in Afghanistan. The Hercules was on a training flight when it crashed, there were no injuries reported. The ageing C1s are gradually being withdrawn of course.

Briefings : Ash damage (or not), Trident, X-37B

Checks on the engines of Finnish air force F-18s which were contaminated by ash from the Icelandic volcano indicate no significant damage was caused to the engines. The RAF has also said no damage was caused to the engine of some of it's Typhoons which ingested some ash. Typhoon training flights have thus resumed.

The issue of replacing Trident came up again in the second of the debates between the leaders of the three main parties in the UK general election (though little else on foreign affairs in what was supposed to be a debate dedicated to it). The Liberals say they will not replace Trident but will seek to maintain Britain's nuclear deterrent through other cheaper means. The other parties attacked their stance. The BBC asks if there is a cheaper alternative.

The USAF's X-37B space plane has successfully been launched into space for the first time. How long the X-37B will stay in orbit is apparently unknown even to the USAF.

Ash cloud halts military training

As well as civilian flights the ash cloud from the erupting Icelandic volcano has bought a stop to RAF military training flights and the majority of all military flights. Forces taking part in the Joint Warrior exercise taking place off Scotland have also been affected. SAR helicopters are still expected to operate as normal because they fly at a lower altitude.

Briefings : Tornado engines, RAF Jackals, Cyber attack

Rolls-Royce have won a 15 year contract to support the RAF's fleet of Tornadoes RB199 engines up until the planned retirement of the Tornado in 2025. The RAF Regiment meanwhile has taken delivery of it's first Jackal 2 armoured vehicles to replace Land Rovers in Afghanistan.

China is suspected as being behind a cyber-attack on India. Files on Indian missile projects and other military information are said to have been taken in the attack in which a number of Indian military computers and those of related agencies were attacked. The first mission-system equipped F-35 has entered flight testing, though the first flight of this first F-35 equipped with sensors, including APG-81 AESA radar, is a year late.

Briefings : Nimrod, ISR, Largs Bay

Flight International has a very good look back at the Nimrod Mk2 which ends it's 41 year career with the RAF today. Nimrod Mk 2 saw action in the Falklands War, Gulf War 1, Yugoslavia, Gulf War 2 and Afghanistan.

The spyplane Nimrod R1 s also being withdrawn and being replaced by RC-135s though it is warned that a defence review might delay the investment in this and other ISR platforms like the planned purchase of a MALE UAV. Yet another big MOD has run into criticism, the future tanker PFI deal will be 5 years late and will require further modifications because the MOD did not think they would need protection for flying in combat zones. You couldn't make it up.

RFA Largs Bay has returned from Haiti where it took relief supplies on behalf of the government and NGOs. A DPRK submarine or semi-submersible was apparently leaving and returning to it's base before and after the nearby sinking of the Choenan corvette though there is nothing to suggest the South Korean ship was lost due to a torpedo attack.

Briefings : UK contracts, Cheonan, Nimrod

The MOD have concluded it's spending spree ahead of the election. A contract has been signed with BAE Systems to maintain the Hawk T2 trainer fleet and a partnership has been begun with MBDA for future air-launched weapons.

A DPRK mine is now the main suspect in the explosion that destroyed the South Korean corvette Cheonan. It is not known if the mine was recently laid, deliberately placed in South Korean waters or was an old one which drifted there though because no mines dating from the Korean War have been found since the 1980s the former possibility could be more likely. Hopes of finding any of the 46 missing sailors alive are now fading fast.

The Nimrod MR2 has now left service but the RAF is now preparing for the Nimrod MRA4 which will enter service in 2012. The first upgraded Lynx AH9A helicopters will deploy to Afghanistan next month.

Briefings : A400M, Green military, Afghan AF

The UK is likely to spell out it's share of the increased contributions by partner nations to the A400M air lifter project. The increase in money the UK will provide is said to be "miminal" but the RAF's order will drop from 25 to 22 planes the first of which is expected in service by early 2014. The MOD has also published it's Sustainable Procurement Strategy which aims to make the UK military "greener" (no jokes please). Recent MOD policies have certainly reduced the military's carbon footprint: less ships, less planes and less troops for less CO2!

RAF fighters have been scrambled twice this month in response to possible hijacked airliners. The ultimate reason for the fighters is to shoot the airliner down if necessary to prevent 9-11 style mass casualties though this decision can only come from the PM, Home Secretary or Transport Secretary. The Cessna 208 Grand Caravan is thought to be the favourite to win a contract for 60 light transports which the US will provide for the Afghan Air Force.

Briefings : Red Arrows, JSF, More fighters

Two Hawks from the RAF's display team the Red Arrows were involved in a mid-air collision during training in Crete. One Hawk was destroyed and the pilot had to eject, he suffered non-fatal injuries. The other Hawk was able to land. The Bear is active it seems, RAF fighters have been scrambled 20 times over the last year to intercept Russian aircraft approaching British airspace.

Scratch one BAE Hawk, even Scotty couldn't fix this

The JSF may be a project rapidly stampeding out of control, at least cost wise, but at least there is being made some decent progress with the flight testing. The V/STOL F-35B has now made a vertical landing. Denmark is delaying it's decision as to whether to buy the JSF or some other fighter until 2014. Romania meanwhile is to buy 24 second-hand F-16s to replace it's Soviet era MiG-21s.

Briefings : Combat ISTAR, Endurance, F-X

The RAF now had "combat ISTAR" over Afghanistan thanks to platforms like the Reaper and views the combination of intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition and reconnaissance capabilities at the heart of it's new concept of operations. The RAF say it's emphasis has now moved from precision attack to exploting the information space. You can read more jargon in the article. A long-endurance UAV is next on the RAF's list, a competition to procure a medium altitude long-endurance unmanned aerial vehicle will be launched. BAE's Mantis and the Predator C Avenger are considered contenders.

A lack of training has been blamed for the engine room flooding which nearly lost HMS Endurance in 2008. Incorrectly connected air control lines to a hull valve allowed water into the ship which ended in the ship nearly capsizing off the Straits of Magellan. Thales UK have won a contract to support the Daring destroyer classes' communications systems.

Frustrated by a fruitless wait for the F-22 Japan is moving ahead with it's F-X competition and will buy 40-50 fighters to replace it's F-4EJ Phantoms. Contenders include the Typhoon and the Super Hornet. The Rafale will not be a contender, Dassault say Japan will never buy a European fighter. Which is probably true to be honest.

UK to buy 3 Rivet Joints (updated)

The MOD seems to be clearing the decks before the election. Not content with announcing the FRES-SV winner it also confirmed the purchase of 3 RC-135 Rivet Joint ISR planes off the US. The Rivet Joints will replace the Nimrod R1 fleet which is due to be withdrawn next year.

Update : the RAF Rivet Joints will be conversions taken from the USAF's KC-135 tanker fleet and won't be available until 2014. To fill the gap some USAF Rivet Joints partially crewed by RAF personnel will be made available.

Briefings : Triumph, Nimrod, JSF

Submarine HMS Triumph has returned to the sea following a 6 year long refit. 6 years seems a long time for a refit doesn't it so what have they been doing in that time? Well Triumph's upgrades include the sonar system and the provision to fire Tomahawk cruise missiles, a new communications system including improved satellite communications and a fibra optic network.

The RAF meanwhile has accepted it's first Nimrod MRA4 though it will only be used for crew training until 2012 because of cost savings. With the withdrawal of the MR2 fleet this means Britain (an island nation of course) has no long-range maritime surveillance for 2 years. Pitiful isn't it really?

The overall cost of the JSF for the US has jumped 40%, not a good thing for sure in these days of recession and debt.