Briefings : Albion, VXX, Iran

HMS Albion has arrived in the Spanish port of Santander to bring home British troops returning from Afghanistan who could not fly into the UK because of the current restrictions as well as some civilians. Ark Royal and Ocean are also on standby to bring home Britons from Channel ports (though the current ferries seem able to cope at the moment).

Earlier reports that NATO F-16s had suffered engine damage after flying through the volcanic ash cloud are now being thrown into doubt.

The US are relaunching it's VIP helicopter programme after the horrific cost overruns that scuppered the VH-71. The new VXX could see a new joint bid by Lockheed Martin and Sikorsky though that probably means the airframe won't be a European design which angers some Americans (though of course they don't mind Europeans buying American aeroplanes).

Iran showed off it's military hardware though are these SA-20s or oil drums on the back of a truck?

Briefings : Volcano, Choenan, Portland

HMS Ark Royal, Albion and Ocean have been deployed to help bring British people trapped abroard home. They are heading to Spain and other ports in the English Channel.

The Finnish air force have released pictures of potential damage caused to the engines of one of it's F-18s by flying through an ash cloud from the erupting Icelandic volcano that has largely closed European airspace.

South Korea is investigating the possibility of the corvette Choenan being sunk by a North Korean Shark class mini-submarine. Two of the Sharks at a DPRK naval base are unaccounted for at the time of the sinking.

Type 23 frigate HMS Portland set sail for the South Atlantic last week to replace the destroyer HMS York. As it's remit includes the Falklands then Portland has a potentially interesting deployment.

Royal Navy to bring Brits home?

With the closure of European airspace continuing and the prospect of restrictions continuing for some time the UK emergency committee COBRA is to meet tomorrow and there was an emergency cabinet meeting today. One idea is apparently to fly as many people as possible into Spain which still has some of it's airspace open and then bring people home using Royal Navy and chartered merchant ships. A British Airways 747 is among a number of European airliners which have made test flights today.

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.

Largs Bay arrives in Haiti

Landing ship RFA Largs Bay has arrived in Haiti laden with relief equipment both from the UK and on the behalf of UK NGOs. The cargo includes 5700 sheets of corrugated iron and 40 vehicles.

Briefings : Disaster relief, GPS, Cold War relics

RFA Largs Bay has set off loaded with relief equipment for Haiti. Equipment being loaded has been donated by the UK government and NGOs and bought using donations from the British public.

With modern militaries increasingly dependent on space based systems like GPS the vulnerability of these systems is prompting countries to look to alternatives. The USAF is looking at taking GPS out of orbit, using UAVs or blimps instead.

Latvia is selling off an ex-Soviet radar base (Skrunda-1) for $300,000 though the actual radar tower was blown up 10 years ago.

Briefings (22/01/10) : UK in Haiti, A400M, Light Patrol Vehicle

RFA Largs Bay will depart later this month from Southampton and will arrive in Haiti in February. It will carry supplies from the British government and NGOs and will also provide a sea base for UK personnel involved with the recovery effort.

The Foreign Office has a short fall of £110 million and will have to cut back on it's anti-terrorism efforts in Pakistan it is claimed by the opposition.

The UK has conducted load tests of the A400M using a mock-up of the transporter's hold.

Supacat have unveiled it's contender for the British Army's new light patrol vehicle to replace the Snatch Land Rover in Afghanistan. The SPV400 has been delivered to the MOD for trials.

New Zealand have ordered the removal of coded Biblical messages from US made gunsights they are using in Afghanistan. Microsoft are to publish an urgent security patch for Internet Explorer after it was revealed it was security holes in IE that enabled Chinese hackers to attack Google and other US companies.

Briefings (18/01/10) : Haiti, US space, Silent Eagle

The first US aircraft to respond to the terrible Haiti earthquake where not helicopters or transport planes but spyplanes and drones. U-2s and Global Hawks were first on (or over) the scene using their sensors to detect buried fuel and water lines and look for possible chemical spills as well as assess the state of the remaining infrastructure ahead of the arrival of relief forces.

The US' long-awaited Space Posture Review may... er... need to be waited for a little longer. The review of US space control and superiority and deployed systems could be delayed for a another year.

The F-15 Silent Eagle is preparing for it's first flight, South Korea could be a first customer. Got $5 million to spare, why not buy that Flanker you always wanted? China is now facing a serious gender imbalance with 24 million more men than women. Could Venezuela be eyeing Aruba and the Netherlands Antilles? While many navies are shrinking around the world Greenpeace are to build (or have built for them anyway) a new £14million flagship.

SAR network to be restored to old strength

The UK's Search & Rescue network of stations is to be restored back to 28 after being cut to 26 earlier. There had been plans to reduce the stations to 24 but this would have left coverage too light so the decision to reduce the network has been reversed. The extra 2 bases will be restored by next Summer. What is the catch? Well some bases will be closed to night-time operations to enable day-time coverage to be maintained. So if your ship decides to sink best make sure it happens in the daylight! Still overall a good news story, for a change.

Navy assists in Gustav's wake

Two Royal Navy ships are in the Caribbean to provide rescue and humanitarian assistance in the wake of Hurricane Gustav which has been wrecking havoc across the area and is now hitting the continental United States. Type 23 frigate HMS Iron Duke and and fleet auxiliary RFA Wave Ruler are sending helicopters to western Cuba to assess the situation and offer aid to victims, they will also try and restore local infrastructure. Iron Duke has been in the Caribbean since June conducting anti-narcotic patrols with the US Coast Guard and had to cancel a port visit to Trinidad because of the storm. Prince William is apparently no longer aboard.