http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bulava_%28missile%29
Here they claim it’s twenty,but me too I agree twelve missiles with only six warheads is a disaster a huge waste in ressources,even the French Triomphant and British Vanguard carry 16 missiles,20 missiles would have really been rational and economical let’s hope we’re all wrong and it’s twenty.

Ah but the British and French are only maintaining a minimum deterent whereas the Russian force is theoretically a counterbalance to the US. Yes they could opt to put 24 missiles with eight to twelve warheads into a single boat but that might be rather a case of putting too many eggs into one basket. Looking at it fairly simplistically you need at least (realistically speaking more in fact) two boats in the fleet to be able to have one on patrol at all times. If you go and stick all the warheads from those two subs into one single boat then half the time your warheads are tied up alongside and therefore they might as well be land-based ICBMs.

Daniel

And yet the RAF is currently building their Nimrod MPA’s which are the most technically complex aircraft they have ever operated, or so they claim. five times the computer code of a B2 etc ………. There are so few parts re-used on the MR4A that I think it can nearly be called a new airframe. Its frighteningly expensive as well so I can’t see anyone else going for it. An R1 derivative would be even more expensive but I suspet that is a long way away.

Never suggested the blue water MPA role was dead, just that for many nations it is declining in importance. Consider the European nations retiring Atlantics/Orions with only partial or no replacement at all. Others are upgrading thier MPA’s but concentrating on the surface surveilance equipment with little or no change to the ASW systems. The new Zealand P-3 upgrade would fall into this category while IIRC the new Nimrods will actually retain basically the same ASW systems as the MR.2s. Simply the P-3 and Atlantic were developed in the face of the threat of the Soviet submarine force that would seek to sever the trans-Atlantic bridge. Such a threat guaranteed a ready market for the long-range ASW MPA. Today the threat of subs in the littorals seems to be more important while the surface surveilance role has changed as well. In such a situation, with competition from the UAVs for the wide area surface surveilance role and helo’s and lighter weight MPAs in the littorals the decision to develop a new large MPA would be rather more risky. And that is my answer to the original posters question of why the Europeans and/or their Russian cousins are not touting any all new MPAs. 🙂

Daniel

There are recent pictures of it flying carrying AIM-54s, something many claimed no longer exists..

Well just beacuse there are pics of planes with the missile body in evidence doesn’t actually tell us anything about the state of the rocket motors or the missile electronics. Maybe since the Iranians are in such a trigger happy and sharing mood at the moment they’ll bless us with a Pheonix live fire ex 🙂

Daniel

Attention, these are not just claims of some mythological what-if technology.. Tamara and Vera are no way ‘radars’, they are passive detectors of electromagnetical emissions. Using three separate devices connected together via LAN you can precisely locate any emitting aircraft using hyperbolic triangulation method. Tamara and Vera don’t make any difference between stealth and non-stealth aircraft and are an effective method to locate incoming B-2A, F-117A or F-22A by detecting their GPS, TACAN, radio altimeter or communication signals. There are rumors about Vera being able to ‘smell’ even FBW at certain distance, but I won’t be going that far as to confirm that..

Tamara and Vera are being produced by Czech TESLA Pardubice and their anti-stealth detection performance has been evaluated by NATO members as ‘remarkable’. Funny thing is that at the times of Tamara’s development (80s) stealth technology was not officially revealed at all so the system did not originally serve this purpose. The latest version Vera-E is already designed with stealth detecting capability as the main role in mind.

I should have been clearer, but I was in whinge mode 🙂 Basically I’m sick of the “radar” tag for the systems. I’m sure they work and could certainly theoretically be used to detect the presence of otherwise difficult to detect aircraft. I’m yet to be convinced of a tactical utility of the system, mainly because of a lack of information on the system itself and on its intended targets. One question, how exactly does one detect a GPS unit? Re the FBW thing, if the system can detect the passage of electrical pulses in copper or optical fibre (at a tactically useful distance) then we might as well forget all our other sensors and just all buy Vera’s.

Daniel

ie how many of us foreigners will die when they drop it anyway.

Either your plannig to sign on for a Jihad holiday tour Garry or you expect to see some of these show up in Wellington, Aukland or Christchurch 🙂 Now I know why the RAAF insists on maintianing Williamtown and Richmond as major operational bases, the sneaky bloody Kiwi’s are plotting to open the South Pacific front of the War on the War on Terror.

Daniel

TAMARA ain’t no radar, buddy.. It is a passive sensor ot TACAN and radio altimeter signals based on principle of hyperbolic triangulation. Get off your soapbox and learn something first. With the exception of djnik it looks to me that all Serbs here have gone completely insane and obsessed with their non-existing military victories.

Oh thank God. I’m sick of these Tamara, Vera etc “anti stealth passive radar” claims.

Daniel

WRONG There answers did not say there are 120 F-15 A’s, 200 B’s 100 C’s and 80 E’s, thats the type of answer I was looking for, go back and carefully read what they type and you’ll see what I mean.

You were provided a pretty good answer mate. I found the same information with a couple of quick google searches. Did you even try to find this info yourself. If you paid these people to be your private researchers then you could get rude and abusive if they don’t provide exactly what you want. Until that happens then 1) try and find it yourself before burdening others, 2) grow up and find a few basic manners.

Daniel