To be honest the difference between Corvette, Frigate and Destroyer is rather subjective these days. One navies Corvette is another navies Frigate and the same goes for Destroyers.

Its generally depends on the classification norms in a particular nation.

For example the Royal Navy classes much of its fleet as Frigates when other navies would call them Destroyers and there are other navies who class vessels as Corvettes when vessels of exactly the same type are called Frigates or even Destroyers by the next country.

For me you could just as easily call the Gaidak a small Frigate or Destroyer depending who is operating it.

Another example many nation regards Destroyers as large heavily armed long range vessels and often the largest type of Warship to be operated by a nation. If you look at Destroyers when they were introduced in the late 1880’s they were “large, swift, and powerfully armed torpedo boats which were designed to destroy other torpedo boats.

Then:

HMS Havock

Now:

HMS Daring

I know there has been lots of very vitriolic press about Tornado being retained rather then Harrier and its suitability for Afghanistan from the press as well as armchair generals.

The truth is rather more complicated, firstly UK is out of Afghanistan soon anyway and after some teething troubles Tornado is working out perfectly well there. Personally I would of liked both to be retained but in the end it is about what the RAF wants to retain. The RAF would rather maintain a penetration strike capability that Tornado does better then the CAS cabability of Harrier. As said Tornado can do CAS albeit not as well, a mute point as UK is out in five years. For the RAF retaining Harrier over Tornado would entail losing more capability as Harrier doesn’t carry Storm Shadow and ALARM among other things. There isn’t the money to integrate those capabilities on Harrier.

OK you could rationalise the fleet on Merlin, it has been argued many times but again no money.

An A330 AEWC is an unknown equation, I am of the opinion that with modern AESA and COTS technology there wouldn’t be the risk of Nimrod AEW but there would be a cost more then likely fairly high and as I said why bother? The RAF is perfectly happy with the E-3D Sentry it already operates that has plenty of life in them and are fully paid for!

As I said earlier there are arguments for the UK to pull out of A400 but it could come with a heavy industrial price. I presume you are an American and are perfectly happy to see UK tax payer procuring from Boeing and Lockheed Martin. The thing is I am a UK tax payer and whilst I see the cost advantages of going for the American choice I don’t think it should be at the price of British industry. You pay a price for the UK choice but the pay off is people in jobs!

-sell merlins, pumas and lynxes and replace with NH90s

All three types would have to be kept in service whilst NH90 is inducted offering no savings. NH90 has no UK workshare.

-cancel FSTA, still acquire the aircraft though

I would agree but the contract for FSTA is probably rock solid.

-cancel A400M, more C-17s and C-130J-30

There are strong arguments for this but it would be at the risk of workshare on future Airbus projects.

-replace SAR and ASW Sea Kings with NH90s

Sea King no longer used for ASW Merlin does that, SAR Sea Kings are actually reasonably young and could operate for many more years with new engines, transmission, Carson blades and cockpit upgrade. Much cheaper then purchasing NH90.

-purchase another 3 A330 and fit out for Recon and ASTOR

A330 is massive overkill for those roles, far simpler and cheaper to retain the NEW aircraft the UK has already purchased the Sentinel R1.

-Scrap Tornado, buy all Typhoons(two seat versions)

There is a good argument for that but Tornado does everything the RAF wants in the strike role now, more Typhoon purchases is virtually an impossible sell with parliament and the RAF is more interested in waiting for F35C as well as UCAV.

-Buy 6 more A330 and sell AWACS E-3D to USAF(maybe joint venture with France for A330 AWACS)

Aside from the expense of developing a new AEW platform the UK and France are happy with the E-3D/F Sentry they already field that have decades of airframe life on them and with upgrades will be more then effective in role.

Interesting video but it does show the fairly horrendous material state she was in when Sevmash took her on.

The misscalculation about wiring alone caused massive problems and now the video shows the horror coiled up on deck (3:10 into the video) – 20million extra man hours sorting out that issue . Also Sevmash had to use a submarine floating out basin with no Goliath cranes that must of hampered progress.

On a positive note they appear to of broken the back of the main issues and I look forward to seeing her in sea trials.