Its an old trick in Industry when a program is bogged down and in danger of dropping off of the radar, change its name and bang the drum a little harder so someone hears you…………….. :diablo:

If we assume no sub launched Tommo’s are available (unlikely). Then they might try the MRA4 with the various stand off bombs (e-paveway ?) or Stormshadow. It has a longer range than the Vulcan and although I have not seen an exact weapons load figure it can carry 60 tonnes of fuel and weapons so the effectiveness of the weapons in can carry may not be materially different when one factors in better accuracy.

I think in theory It could even be done with an MR2 as well, just with more refuelings as the RAF list ‘bombs’ on their web page as being available for the MR2 (anyone know exactly what ones?) . Quite how various radars would be disabled I am not sure, as I don’t know if ALARM has been fitted on a Nimrod.

Retrofitting new capability in a hurry was done to the Vulcans and Victors prior to the black buck missions e.g. reliable Civilian Navigation system, countermeasures pods, refuelling probes, Shrike missiles, Bomb racks from a scrapyard :diablo: etc) so it would likely happen again. Necessity is the mother of invention as they say……..

Interesting. The ship appears to be of a modern stealthy design but the missile was radar guided so presumably its stealthy profile didn’t help much. I doesn’t read good though regardless, does it ?

As wonderful as the F-117 is, it will always be compromised in that it is a first of type aircraft. These generally have tended to have a shortish sevice life (with some notable exceptions).

So will the French respond the same way they did agaist the Ivory Coast a couple of years ago and bring in the Mirages ?

In terms of a Maritime patrol aircraft in Africa, if the French ones are anything like the UK Nimrods they are now so much more than just Maritime craft and the maritime bit is only a small part of their overall capability. The French would have been missing a trick if they had not upgraded their Atlantiques to do other things as well such as overland reconnaissance and evesdropping

On a Friday, the MOD ? 😮 Mmmmmm lets see :diablo:

I have just been comparing the tech specs of the P-8 and the MR4A. I know that the Nimrod has its critics (myself included) but it can carry 60 tonnes of fuel and ordinance whereas the P-8 MMA seems to be somewhere between 37-40 depending on what you read and where. 20 plus tonnes difference is a lot of operational flexibility, plus you have two more engines which is always nice over water . Have there been any question marks over the MMA P-8’s performance ?

Agree Turbinia, UK and France have fallen out many times over the detail. Quite how Concorde ever got aloft amazes me. Let them take the basic design and do what they like with it. From what I read the French have ‘bought in’ mainly due to the amount of time it will save them from designing something from scratch, when in effect what they would have designed independantly wouldn’t have been fundamentally different at waterline level anyway.