One proper Imperial ton = 1016 kg, so only 1.6% bigger, which isn’t a significant difference in this case. It’s only those measly little 907kg US tons that are different enough to matter, & for most purposes they can safely be ignored, as only Americans use them. 😀

Thanks Swerve, I was trying to understand if CVF could in the long run have CATOBAR UCAV’s operating long side the F-35B’s as the diagram of the CVF from Navy Matter’s seems to suggest it can (with runways set up for both CATOBAR and STOL operations), as I for one have argued that if you are going to get UCAV’s sooner rather than later then it was one of the few good arguments for CATOBAR and it looks like that the RN already have take account of it.

It would also be good news for other reasons, as it looks like there will be a shortage of helicopters in the future, and I for one would rather they not convert 6 Merlin’s for MaSC but instead, if all possible consider converting old S-3’s with Searchwater 2000 and Cerberus (because obviously they are not going to by Hawkeye’s after investing in Searchwater), and retain the Merlin’s for utility roles.

Well it would make sense that 12 Chinook’s made in the UK would cost the same as 22 Chinook’s made in the US – maybe the budget to convert the Merlin’s is so high that it wide out the life extension for the Puma’s, as I cannot see them going back to tendering for more Merlin’s nor introducing a new type (like the Polish built Blackhawk International).

As Swerve would say there’s no money, it not going to happen so any speculation is pointless, however as speculation is my middle name – I cannot but feel that 4 – 6 “light frigates” in the 3500 tonne range (like the La Fayette class) might do nicely – the problem is that I would want a different weapon mix to those of the La Fayette class. Presuming that they do not want to introduce new weapon classes it would end up with 1 Mk 8 gun, 2 x 30 mm remote operated weapon stations, then I would have it fitted for but not equipped with CAMM, and then either with recycled Harpoon’s or if this is overkill, an 8 shot launcher for Sea Skua II. I would also ensure that it had good decoys, but I will leave others to say want radar and sonar systems it should have, and if it should carry torpedoes’ or not (though I am happy that a Lynx will cover ASuW if need be).

The article talks of an available air group of 40 planes, and that means ACTIVE planes.

More likely, that will be 3 squadrons, each of 12 planes, half of the originally planned squadrons.

So, 70 planes will have to be acquired, roughly, to have 40 planes active.

40 planes, with the need to form an OCU and OEU, would mean having perhaps 20 or so active planes if not less.

Liger I hope you are right, I really do but I am not sure a Times reporter would understand the difference between 40 active aircraft and 40 aircraft total.

Story in the Times – some pain (Destroyers/Frigates) but it could’ve been worse …

I really hope that it is wrong as a couple of the proposed cuts look very short-sighted:

Nearly half of Britain’s fighter jets and more than a third of the navy’s frigates and destroyers will go. Plans for two new aircraft carriers will still go ahead at a cost of £5 billion.

Not so worried about the number of fast jets, but the loss of the Frigates and Destroyers, even if they are limited to the oldest is a major blow, especially as they do not have enough to carry out routine missions as it stands.

Upgrades to keep 35 Puma helicopters in service for another decade are to be scrapped and their base at RAF Benson closed.

So they will scrap the only medium lift helicopters they have, along with 40% of the proposed Chinnock buy and the Sea Kings, seriously cutting back the total number of helicopters available – the interview in Combat Aircraft Monthly made it clear they need to buy a small number medium lift helicopters and another 6 Chinnocks beyond the 22 originally proposed to just keep capabilities as is when Sea King and Puma where retired.

The RAF is expected to confirm that it will retire at least half of its 160 old Tornado and Harrier fighter jets early…

Although the navy’s two new aircraft carriers now seem safe, the air group to operate on them will be significantly reduced to fewer than 40 aircraft.

Well this is my worst case scenario – 40 F-35B’s that is enough for what? 1 front line squadron, one OCU and attrition/maintenance spares? I can guess where they will not be spending most of there time, and it’s not on the carriers.

PS Thanks Stryker for supplying for text of the FT story – I hope the FT is more accurate but reading the two stories side by side sounds like the FT is report what Liam Fox and the MoD want to do while the Times is reporting what the Army wants to do.

Yes I know that Uruguay can do nothing about Brazil if the was any problem. My comment is that if Uruguay was going to spend money on upgrading it Navy it would not be wasting money on an air defence destroyer, but instead buying a small frigate or a OPV for protecting the their EEZ, as they currently have two active and reserve frigate, with the active frigates ~40 years old even if they where acquired recently and 5 patrol boats, and they could likely do with something more modern, with the ability to carry a helicopter.

I apologise if my point was not clear.

Brazils naval expansion isn’t aimed at its neighbours. They might be scared if Brazil was expanding its army & air force, but probably not. Brazil has no territorial ambitions.
The navy is wanted to protect its EEZ, which is vast & now, with all that oil, very valuable, & to extend its influence further afield.

Okay – but would expect some reaction from other countries in the region as Brazil edges to a modern navy with home built CATOBAR carrier with 24 Rafale M (as a best guess as the F-X2 competition is still on-going), which appears to be Brazil’s long term strategy, even if the only reactions are to try to try to acquire fairly modern air defence destroyer’s.

I love to see new carrier based light strike aircraft, I look forward to LCA (N) Mk II with a new engine becoming all that it promised but so far failed to deliver – I think Skyhawks are a timeless design! But then I also want to resurrect Skyraider for COIN!