Turbinia, Interested in your comments as always. Assuming a container or container RoRo is the prefered option, how do they hanger any aircraft if they don’t have lifts ? Is it a case of fabricating a ramp and winching aircraft up and down it to the lower levels or is everything done on the very top level ?

Maybe if someone could post a cutaway image of the internals of a ship like this I might be able to visualise it better.

It is because of questions like this that DASA produce the statistics attached for the UK MOD every year. No doubt at a more detailed level than the summary statistics shown they could exactly answer your question as to which ships would be suitable, because someone does think about things like this;

http://www.dasa.mod.uk/natstats/ukds/2006/c3/table36.html

I know for example that some tankers can be converted to fuel supply ships after a very short period in a yard. It was done in 2-3 weeks to some BP tankers in 1982. And from that time we all know the sad story of Atlantic conveyor and its cargo of Chinooks & Wessex that would have been flown off had they got a chance…..
What is interesting in those statistics is the reduction in UK Registered passenger carrying ships which might be percieved as a risk in some parts of the MOD.

As far as I am aware and for reasons unknown they don’t publish this data for militarily useful commercial transport aircraft, which I would have thought was an equally important statistic. :confused:

Well todays the day. I just hope they don’t propose going to less than 4 subs but rumours suggest they might 🙁

I thought the USA provided virtually all of the Iceland defence system ? Have they taken a step back from this ?

Its front page news in todays Financial Times in the UK, doesn’t make particularly happy reading 🙁

Can’t do a web link as its a subscription service

They will be suggesting Harland and Wolff for CVF main assembly next as part of the Northern Ireland Peace Dividend 😉

Crab, Yes UAV’s would certainly be on the agenda

Some buyers may prefer one maker to another, particularly if they already have a happy working relationship with them for their existing aircraft. Its no different to when you buy a car, most manufacturers offer you a choice of more than one, although rarely from a different maker. As a buyer I would always be in favour of a choice.