Sorry to go back to an old point, but…

Also, the myth of “generate capabilities” in case of need is largely an illusion.

A ship of any kind can’t be rapidly “regenerated”.
Crews for mothballed tanks, provided there’s at least a brigade still active, can be readied, but it would still take MONTHS. The “RAPIDLY” we are talking about is still measured in months we may not have.

Second myth: “we can buy things cheaply and rapidly with UORs”
This is also a myth, and two UORs explain it better than anything else: the Light Patrol Protected Vehicle is universally accepted as very urgent UOR. We heard of it the first time perhaps two years ago by now (in some way, actually, the need was pointed out already as far back as 2006) and despite it being “urgent” it is still NOT in sight.
Again, the vaunted TALISMAN anti-IED system. First time it was announced was early 2008. It came on front line this month in afghanistan.

2 years is not what i call “rapidly”. And it was not cheap either.

I find the “regeneration” tactic is very risky, and should be used with massive prudence, and in many sectors it is not viable at all.
There’s no way to regenerate Aircraft Carriers, SSNs, anphibious capabilities.
There’s not even way to EXPAND them, if not in years, if the assets have to be built, or at the very least MONTHS if it is about crews.

You are indeed right about people and training. Using my example of the Sea Harrier, at least the people involved are mostly flying/working on Harriers of one sort or another. Even so, it is the human side that would be the problem. The more recent pages of the PPRuNe Sea Jet thread – particularly from page 100 onwards – discuss regeneration and the fact that whilst in some cases, regeneration can restore some capability, it cannot be as good as properly procured and supported systems.

Consider a proposal to mothball a certain type of ship. Even if the equipment is kept in good order, where would you suddenly find a crew with the right training and experience? Given that our armed forces are fairly lean in terms of manpower, how would you do it? Reservists? OK, that approach could help and is being taken by other countries, but we’ve been busy cutting our Reserve forces so that they support CURRENT operations and little else.

Being prepared for unlikely events – not a chance.

I think you misunderstood me. My point is that frequently, development cannot take place until there is security, which demands military action and/or assets. I quoted Sierra Leone as an example where there has been development, but to allow this to happen military action was needed, including the use of a carrier and her aircraft.

Protecting the World Food Programme aid ships from pirate attack en route to Somalia is another example of aid and development needing military protection. There are others.

See also the RN Fighters thread.

The firing of Sea Viper by Dauntless is due in September this year.

Killing the Carriers not only kills shipbuilding on the clyde, it kills almost every yard in the UK

It also kills any idea we have of being anything other than a puppet of Washington, or more alarmingly, Brussels.

To quote myself from the old thread:

If only the force levels and procurements of the SDR in 1998 had been maintained….

Five RAF air defence sqaudrons
21 Nimrod MRA4
40 Infantry battalions
32 frigates/destroyers
10 SSNs
Sea Harrier kept in service until CVF/JCA arrives (very tempting to slip in this link to the PPRuNe Sea Jet thread*)
CVF in service in 2012 (and 2015)

Bah…

* Also mentions frigate/destroyer and submarine cuts.

What is there to cut? What isn’t busy in one way or another? Can we say what will will or won’t need in five or ten years time?

More frigates. I like your thinking.

djcross

The America SINKEX yielded a lot of useful information on ship vulnerability – some of which is being shared with the UK and other allies. It also proved that a warship of that size is a very hard thing to destroy – and that’s without the defences of the air group, the escorting warships, the carrier’s own defences, and the damage control efforts of the crew.

Why does it need the bag with the scanner inside? Merlin already has a radome on the lower fuselage for the Blue Kestral radar? I agree that surplus HM1s should be used. Or even new builds?