The Black Sea has opposition seapower pocketed up in an oversized bloody pond!. If there EVER was a theatre those Backfires and MR Fencers would’ve had a field day that was it!. Why not use this magnificent airpower when it can actually be employed to some good!!!. The Neustrashimy….was….in….the….Baltic thats a 4500-5000nm, 10 day, transit at a steady 20knts. For a navy thats not really been deploying a lot for a while thats ambitious when there are much nearer assets that could be used!. It does not make a lot of sense even tasking that vessel in the first place.

Take it for what you will, but rumour has it that the Black sea fleet was pushed to its limits by the Georgia campaign in terms of the back end support. The ships had been exercising prior to the conflict and period of intensive operations (by Russian standards) took its toll on ships, systems and and supplies. The suspicion goes that they need a period in dock to sort themselves out. It is worth noting how quickly the ships returned to port afterwards. The assumption has to be made that the Neustrashimy was the closest ocean going unit that was in sufficient material state and with an adequately competent crew to actually undertake the voyage.

In short the Georgian campaign does not paint the picture of a fleet that is capable of sustained operations by the majority of its units but of one that struggles to surge its best assets on token and minor operations to give the impression of a powerful force.

This is further supported by the fact that the three units currently at sea on long range patrols are the most modern ocean going surface units in the Russian fleet, Neustrashimy (commissioned 1993) Pyotr Velikhiy (commissioned 1995) and Admiral Chabanenko (commissioned 1999). And what has happened to the Admiral Kuznetsov after her little two month jaunt to the Med at the beginning of the year, we have heard practically nothing of her up until now when she takes a little trip out into the Barents sea to operate as a viewing platform for Mevedev. The reason is because she now had to spend an extended period in port. The fact is that the Russian navy is still afflicted with a mass of aging and poorly maintained ships backed up by an underfunded and corrupt support system.

Conclusion: Fan boy paper fleets and the SSN force aside the Russian navy is still a fleet that represents more of a danger to itself than it does to anybody else.

Buy more C-17’s, its what the air bridge needs.

Follow the link UAZ gave. Immeasurably better picture. Zoom in, & you can see her very well. She hasn’t been stripped, at least externally, but she looks in poor shape. Very rusty & decayed-looking.

By stripped I mean internal components, furnishings, wiring etc. And probably not legitimately.;)

According to some aircraft mags this month, Britain’s MOD want to upgrade all of their Chinooks to a “HC4” standard . Now does anyone think is a begining to a new fiasco for uk’s armed forces again?

Potentially quite the opposite. HC4 involves new avionics, improved defensive aids and Bowman compatibility. This should bring the entire fleet a common standard.

:(Funny thing this comes up today seeing that the French Navy cut 9 of the FREMMS from the program :mad::rolleyes:

9? I thought that they had only cancelled 6, 11 down from 17?

It is a bit surprising that Kenya would be making a major arms purchase so soon after the recent ethnic violence and the formation of a divided coalition government.

On the other hand, the there would be tremendous difficulties in transporting T-72 tanks overland to Southern Sudan, where much of the terrain is unsuitable for MBTs, especially in the rainy season.

Its Africa, since when did defence procurement follow logical thought processes? Anyway Kenya would not be that shocking and this haul is almost certainly second hand and probably sold at near scrap value anyway.

Where’s the data then? :rolleyes:

Have you ever heard of the word ‘conversation’?

I never mentioned FREMM or its capabilities and it has nothing to do with PA2. And just saying it was because France wanted too excessive equipment or that they couldn’t afford it (period) when there were numerous other things going on, I am afraid I’ll just have to agree to disagree on this one.

As far as the F-35 story goes, I have to agree that its a non-story. The CVF and F-35 go hand-in-hand. The MoD won’t cancel.

FREMM has everything to do with it, the hull numbers have been slashed and a comparatively poor mans version procured not because the evil British undermined it but because France can not afford it. That is why PA2 has gone.