https://ukdefencejournal.org.uk/russian-aircraft-carrier-towed-home-after-break-down/

Russian Aircraft Carrier Towed Home After Break Down

Knowing how politics works, they’ll scrap until there’s a crisis and then spend £1bn on a Public Inquiry as to why we scrapped so many aircraft.

Thanks for that. Interesting & informative.

So . . the new ASRAAM & CAMM(A) are the same thing – externally ASRAAM but upgraded with CAMM internals. No re-invention of wheels (good!). I presume it’ll include the CAMM datalink. Is that right?

It’d probably be simpler to leave the datalink in than take it out. Typhoon already has a datalink integrated for AMRAAM.

Hello all

I have a question I was hoping could be answered. I’ve been reading about the UK’s Common Anti-Air Modular Missile programme that will replace Sea Wolf Block 2, ASRAAM and Rapier with a single, common missile system.

What I was wondering was about the decision to have radar-guidance for the RAF’s short-range air-to-air missile. At present all countries seem to have developed radar-guided missiles for medium/long-range air engagement, and infrared for short-range. Is there any reason why this should be the case? Is infrared better for the short-range engagement envelope?

I understand the original reason may have been that infrared seekers were simpler to develop and place in a small missile (at least to create a fire-and-forget capability which until the 1970s was not feasible for radar-guidance, AIM-54 excepted). But is there any reason why in the modern day and age you cannot simply have radar-guidance for all missile systems? I imagine you could place a very good AESA seeker on the CAMM.

So essentially my question is this; is there any logic in having both infrared and radar guided missiles for short/medium and long-range missiles respectively? Is there any reason why the decision to make CAMM(A) radar-guided is not a good idea? I vaguely recall the old Soviet tactic of firing both an infrared and radar guided missile together which significantly complicates jamming and defence.

IR has issues through dense cloud and water vapour.

Does anybody have more information about the CAMM-ER? Will this extended version be the version on the type-26 ships, or are they just getting the regular one?

What kind of launcher does the missile require? The soft-launch is a really nice function who probably makes the launch-cell system less complicated.
Does the Lockheed Martin ExLs work only for CAMM? Can it handle the CAMM-ER as well?

http://www.mbda-systems.com/mediagallery/files/camm-er_datasheet-1424430346.pdf

https://www.rt.com/usa/321194-carter-russia-threat-world-order/

“Some actors appear intent on eroding these principles and undercutting the international order that helps enforce them… Of course, neither Russia nor China can overturn that order. But both present different challenges for it,” Carter said.

In Europe, Russia has been violating sovereignty in Ukraine and Georgia and actively trying to intimidate the Baltic states. Meanwhile, in Syria, Russia is throwing gasoline on an already dangerous fire, prolonging a civil war that fuels the very extremism Russia claims to oppose,” was the US Defense Secretary’s assessment of the role Russia has played in the two world regions.

Who fired the first shots in Ukraine in February 2014, and who was backing them? That was the real terrorism.

Not if the RAF retires ’em this decade. They’ll be retiring when barely middle-aged by the standard of modern combat aircraft, far younger – & with fewer hours – than the norm among our allies.

That’s political though, nothing to do with the plane itself. There are far more outdated planes still flying.

http://breakingdefense.com/2015/11/tanker-fiasco-again-boeing-lockheed-protest-northrops-lrsb-win/

Tanker Fiasco Again? Boeing-Lockheed Protest Northrop’s LRSB Win