They’re finally getting the Astute program on track, it’s been a nightmare project as for a while it was just totally out of control to the point it was suspended to allow BAE to recover from some of the dreadful mismanagement screw ups and also bring in American assistance to help them out. I’ve no doubt the Astute will be a formidable SSN and a lethal weapon, but the cost is frightening 🙁 Same with the Type 45, it should be an excellent destroyer but it’s clear the RN will be lucky to get 8, never mind the 12 they were originally promised, and I’d be amazed if the Type 23’s are replaced on a 1:1 basis, which begs the question of will the two CVF’s be of real use if the RN lack adequate escorts to field two carrier battle groups? I guess the only (very small) consolation is that the RN aren’t the only navy struggling with their budget 🙁

Things like quality of materials, welding, installation etc. do make a huge difference even when boats share a common design, not to mention in service maintenance and operation.

We should drill a hole to the centre of the planet, fill it with nuclear bombs and then see if we can blow the whole planet up for a laugh. That’s my view.

Yes indeed, in your industry H&S is of vital importance, especially where microwave radiation is concerned.

Thing is, the really high risk industries tend to have excellent safety records, and that is because they have such rigid safety systems in place. Look at the safety records of industries like fishing and construction where things are a lot slacker. In this plant we deal with 120Bar steam, 275KV electricity, radiological hazards, boiling acids, some very nasty chemicals and there has been one significant accident with a storeman having a fork lift run over his foot since the plant opened. That is a pretty good vindication of the safety systems (storeman not withstandin) compared to a lot of companies in the local economy with nothing like the hazards we have to manage.

To be fair, the ability to police your own air space is a sign of independance. I do not think most poeple could accpet the condition like Ireland.

There is the national pride question, but enough countries can live without expensive fighter jets, not just Ireland, New Zealand abondoned it’s air strike capability (Keith Park must be turning in his grave), much of the Caribbean, some African states, Polynesian states etc.

Yeah, but any old bomber will also be shot down. A credible delivery system means they have to be able to mount it on a missile, either ICBM or cruise, and that takes a lot of skill and expertise. Either that or stick it in a suitcase and just leave it in the middle of a city, pretty effective.

Can anybody seriously ever see Austria going to war with Germany, Italy, Switzerland or the Czech Republic? As a member of the EU it’s locked into a political union and legal system with is between it and any threats. What is the nearest realistic threat? Either South or East of the Medi or the former USSR, either of which would entail a major war involving all of Europe if Austria ever got into trouble from Russia or the Middle East. Given that, it’d make sense for Austria to invest in internal security capability and rely on others to defend their airspace, with maybe a handful of lightweight fighters based on advanced trainers to handle things like air hijack situations. Do what countries like New Zealand and Ireland do and just rely on the fact that other bigger and better armed countries will do the real heavy job of providing air defence and have a free ride.