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"?

Britain and France will not share carriers... but may share A400M

So Britain and France won't share a pool of aircraft carriers, well it was always going to have been unlikely (but may have been fun from a twisted outsider point of view). Instead the UK and France will be looking at how to share their respective fleets of A400M transports (does that mean they'll be able to get away with buying less?)

Briefings : More SDR stuff, Drug Busts, Meeting In Space

• The Strategic Defence Review tittle-tattle continues. The Gurkhas are the latest in the firing line (so to speak) with suggestions they could be cut completely. One reason being they are no longer as cheap because of recent pension rights reforms.
• HMS Gloucester has intercepted a yacht in the mid-Atlantic carrying an estimated £4 million in cocaine. The destroyer was en route to the Falklands when it was called upon to assist authorities off the Cape Verde islands.
• Could the Royal Navy and Marine Nationale end up sharing a pool of 3 carriers? Neither side will confirm the report. If it did happen though it would mean the Queen Elizabeths going CTOL surely, which wouldn't be a bad thing. Nelson spinning in his grave et cetera.
• Taiwan's F-CK-1C/D fleet will receive radar upgrades following the US releasing a block on the export.
• Unmanned Underwater Vehicle (UUV) development is set to explode as these vehicles begin to play a major role in naval warfare. 
• Was the meeting of 2 Chinese satellites in orbit a sign of a sophistocated space warfare programme? SJ-12 and SJ-06F are thought to have performed "non-cooperative robotic rendezvous" which could allow for an array of military applications such as inspection or sabotage of foreign satellites.

Briefings : Ocean, Trident, Eurofighter crash

• HMS Ocean has begun an anti-drugs deployment in the Caribbean. The assault carrier will also be on hand to provide assistance to British territories in the area during the hurricane season (unless its bought home early to save a few quid).
• The uncertainly about the Vanguard replacements and the continuation of Britain's nuclear deterrent is concerning some British defence companies especially how it may effect other defence spending.
• Denmark has turned down a request by NATO to send F-16s to Afghanistan saying they have already done enough. Indeed unlike some other countries in the alliance the Danes have contributed a lot to the fight there.
• A Eurofighter has crashed in Spain on a regular training flight. The fighter was being piloted by a Saudi Air Force pilot who died in the crash though a Spanish pilot also aboard managed to eject.
• Israel is pressing ahead with its JSF purchase after getting approval to install Israeli equipment and support Israeli munitions. The F-35I will also have its EW suite kept up to date by the US to IDF requirements.

Briefings : SDR, Karrar, North Korea

• The Strategic Defence Review trash talk continues, both Queen Elizabeth carriers could now be "scrapped" (well only QE itself could be scrapped of course as work hasn't begun on the 2nd carrier yet). The Red Arrows could also be under threat, doubt it though.
• Upgraded Desert Hawk UAVs have arrived with British forces in Afghanistan. The latest version has improved cameras and a better wing for operation in the country.
• Iran have unveiled their Karrar "attack drone", the latest of a seemingly endless array of indigenous weapons. However do any of these toys actually make it to serial production? The Karrar anyway can carry 4 missiles or bombs and has a range of 1000km.
• A North Korean MiG-21 is said to have crashed in China when it ran out of fuel. US analysts believe it was due to a navigational error however not an attempted defection. Another suggestion is that it was heading to a Chinese air base for maintenance though there are no confirmed maintenance agreements between China and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.
• Perhaps cyber warfare is a better bet for the DPRK, North Korea have apparently created official Facebook and Twitter accounts as part of their info-war against the decadent West.
• One of the A400M prototypes visited RAF Brize Norton and allowed for a photo-op alongside a Hercules and a C-17.

Briefings : SDR, SLBMs, Tank reefs

• The SDR leaks and gossip continue, according to the latest reports the RAF will take the brunt of the cuts in the UK forces and be left with less than 200 fighters. All Tornadoes and Hercules would be withdrawn and the number of Typhoons cut. The Army would lose 40% of its armoured vehicles and the Navy 2 submarines and 3 amphibious warship ships in the latest leaked proposals.
• The MOD is looking into a training package to support the operations of its future fleet of A400M transports.
• Russia has successfully tested 2 Sineva SS-N-23 SLBMs but the next test of the troubled next-generation Bulava SS-NX-30 has been postponed.
• 25 ex-Thai Army tanks and other vehicles have been dumped in the Gulf of Thailand to produce an artificial reef. Similiar things are often done with ex-warships.

Review to be bought forward

The decision on where the axe will fall on UK defence spending has been bought forward to the end of October instead of Christmas, they obviously did not want to ruin everyone's holidays. A fixed budget has not yet been set by the Treasury. One area of ongoing discussion with the Treasury is who is going to pay to replace Trident. The Treasury want the MOD to pay for it, the MOD naturally would rather it was funded separately like before.

Briefings : Trident cuts, RN cuts, CVF

• The RUSI has called on the UK nuclear deterrent to be cut to save costs. It says there is no longer a need to maintain a continuous patrol. This would delay the need to order a replacement for the Vanguard fleet and one presumes 3 ships could be bought instead of 4.
• The Royal Navy and Royal Air Force could bear the brunt of cuts in the strategic defence review according to reports. The RN could lose its base at Plymouth and 8 minesweepers. Though local MPs say they will fight to save Devonport. Much of this is inter-service jockeying of course.
• The MOD is investing in an electromagnetic catapult system for its Queen Elizabeth aircraft carriers just in case its procurement of STOVL JSFs fail. Construction of the first carrier has begun at Birkenhead.
• Boeing is trying to extend the C-17's production life with a "slimmer" version. The C-17FE is a more fuel efficient version with a narrower fuselage and improved engines and wings. Ironically Lockheed are looking at a wider version of its iconic Hercules.

Briefings : Army cuts, Arms sales, Co-op

• The UK could cut it's troop numbers by 30,000 and place the Royal Marines under Army control under one option being drawn up in the strategic defence review. However an army source said that would be unlikely to happen while fighting was continuing in Afghanistan.
• India is to sign a £500 million deal with BAE Systems for Hawk trainer jets it is reported during the Prime Ministers' trip to India this week.
• Kuwait has shown an interest in the F-15SE Silent Eagle to augment its current fleet of Hornets. Saudi Arabia plans to buy 84 F-15s along with 72 UH-60 Blackhawk helicopters.
• France and Germany have set up a co-operation working group to look at ways to save costs by pooling resources. 
• Myanmar is said to be working on nuclear weapons.

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 : Gripen NG, Canada JSF, CVF

• The Gripen NG Demo aircraft is coming to Farnborough after a late change of plans. Sweden are now talking openly about their plans to procure the next generation Gripen with a decision to be taken next year or 2012 with the first Gripen NGs entering service with the Swedish Air Force in 2020.
• Canada has announced it will buy 65 F-35 JSFs to replace its F-18 fighter fleet. It is the first firm export committment for the type and will be welcome news after recent flakiness by other customers.
• The Telegraph has a series of pictures from the Queen Elizabeth aircraft carrier under construction and a round-up report. Meanwhile the Artisan 3D radar which will be fitted to the QE class is under test.
  
  
  
• The Guardian has picked up on the fact the Treasury and MOD are in conflict over who should be paying for the Trident nuclear submarine replacements.
• Defense Tech is asking if the US are finally changing their policy of gold plating every procurement programme with the CSAR-X search and rescue helicopter. We'll believe that when we see it.
• The latest country to reduce its defence budget is... Israel. Its the first time the Jewish state's defence budget will be reduced for years.

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!

Cameron reassures Royal Navy over defence review

Speaking in Canada the PM addressed sailors on HMS Ark Royal.

Government will move ahead with Trident but look at costs

The Defence Secretary in a parliamentary debate said that the UK would definitely move ahead  with a continuous sea-based nuclear deterrent though value for money will be looked at in all areas. These comments came as Fox was talking about how he intended to restructure the MOD to make it more efficient and leaner (P45 printing commence!)

Briefings : SAR-H binned?, F136 to be binned?, LEMV

The SAR-H next generation UK search & rescue service announced earlier in the year has been suspended as part of a £10 billion series of cuts announced by the government today. The PFI contract will now be reviewed. Some design work for the Trident replacement programme will also be delayed.

While the JSF programme looks ever shakier, the alternative engine F136 programme for it looks to be on foundations of mash potato. US Defence chief Gates has said funding the F136 would be a serious mistake. Bad news for Rolls Royce.

Good news for fellow UK company Hybrid Air Vehicles however who will design the platform to be used in the Long-Endurance Multi-intelligence Vehicle (LEMV) programme, an unmanned surveillance airship intended for use in Afghanistan. The airship is a hybrid design which gets 40% of it's left from aerodynamic lift. Northrop Grumman will build the airships.

Briefings : J-6, US defence cuts, South America

The PLAAF has officially bid farewell to the J-6, it's version of the MiG-19 Farmer. The type remained in production long after the Soviet Farmer had ceased production and indeed up until the 1990s was the core type in China's air force. The J-6 was retired from combat duties in 2005 and now withdrawn from it's remaining duties too.

A committee in US Congress is looking into ways of dramatically cutting US military spending. The Sustainable Defense Task Force plans to cut over a trillion dollars in military spending over the next 10 years with all services in the firing line for possible deep cuts. One programme of course in the firing line will be the JSF with flight tests of the Block 1 aircraft now underway. Another big procurement programme in trouble is the Expeditionary Fighting Vehicle for the US Marines who have been asked to justify it.

One place military spending is still ongoing is in South America. Venezuela wants to buy another 22 K-8Ws for the training and light strike roles while Chile wants to modernise it's Hercules transports with new cockpit displays.

The safety of ammunition used by the British Army has raised concerns with a watchdog worrying that the potential for a serious accident. The PM is to tell MPs that the winding down of the British presence in Afghanistan is to soon begin. The Chief of the Defence Staff was removed from his post earlier (or his early retirement announced rather) indicating the PM wants a new chief to oversee the withdrawal. However US government geologists have apparently found vast mineral wealth in Afghanistan so maybe they'll be wanting to stay after all.

Briefings : Sharpshooter, Trident, Naval operations

Royal Marines from 40 Commando have received the new long range Sharpshooter L129A1 rifle the UK bought earlier in the year as an urgent response to the need for a longer-ranged rifle as the SA80 was struggling with the medium to long range combat being fought in Afghanistan.

The RUSI has warned that trying to replace Trident with an alternative nuclear deterrent will likely cost more than retaining Trident unless the UK is willing to seriously dilute it's commitment to a continuous deterrent presence (which might be an option to be honest). Defence cuts (which are very likely) could affect the Army and RAF mostly with the Army being reduced to it's smallest size since the Boer War (a kind of pointless comparison though to be honest).

The French and US Navies have been conducting some joint exercises involving French Rafales landing on a Nimitz aircraft carrier and also one having it's engine removed and refitted on the US carrier to demonstrate interoperability. USN Hornets also performed landings on the Charles de Gaulle. Meanwhile the USN is asking the public for help in trying to find 4 of it's UUVs which it lost contact with during an exercise.

HMS Daring is undergoing 6 weeks of intense training as it is tested by the Flag Officer Sea Training taskmasters who make sure RN warships are fit for action. Though it can't receive the full FOST treatment as it doesn't have a working Sea Viper system yet of course.

UK General Election

After months of electioneering the ..er.. general election has begun and on May 6th the British people will decide on a new government. As a political junkie i shall be enjoying the chaos and mania of course though the MOD will be on a virtual freeze so there may not be a great deal of UK defence news over the next few weeks. Unfortunately defence itself is unlikely to be much of an issue in the election despite the crocodile tears about "Our Boys" the media and (to an extent) the public like to shed. Want to improve the kit to the troops? Yes! Want to pay more taxes to afford it? Er... no!

We are likely to have a strategic defence review after the election no matter who wins. And likely defence cuts because of the economic problems. That will be true if Brown, Cameron, Clegg or Lord Bucket Head are the PM on May 7th.

Defence budget real-terms increases and cuts

In the wake of the budget today in the UK the various government departments had to spell out how they would save money. The MOD is to made £700 million "efficiency savings" by doing things like using less consultants and better IT. If they say so though some of these savings are a little vague, working in IT as i do i know that just buying new systems does not guarantee you will become more efficient and save money - sometimes the total opposite! The MOD meanwhile claim that the defence budget will have real-terms increases in 2010-11 with several billion earmarked for Afghanistan on top of the defence budget. Though of course they at the same time have to save over a half a billion.

JSF and CVF : an Admiral's dream. A Treasury official's nightmare.

Cheerfully a committee of MPs say the defence budget is facing a black hole of up to £36 billion and major projects may need to be cut. After the election we will just have to see where we stand. The days of gravy are over for awhile though, unless you work for a bank of course.

Briefings : JCA hover, Korean helicopter, Defence cuts

The F-35B JSF (JCA in the UK) has demonstrated it can hover during a test flight in the US. The aircraft hovered for 96 seconds.



The Korean Utility Helicopter, developed by KAI and Eurocopter, has made it's first flight. Stop the presses! Gordon Brown has admitted he was wrong. He told the Iraq Enquiry defence spending had increased in real terms during every year in the New Labour regime but has now had to admit in real terms the defence budget has dropped.