Originally posted by SOC
You know, I did like the idea of offloading surplus B-1Bs to the RAF to fit the FOAS requirement when we had that debate a year or so back. But B-2s? How you gonna finance those? Sell the Crown Jewels? 😀

“Surplus” B-1Bs?! Last I heard you’ll be employing the AdA to wash ’em down at AMARC and fly ’em back out to ANG units! 😀 (Did you happen to read the GAO on that btw?)

The RAF would never have bought the Lancer: every time (and I mean LITERALLY every time) the Bone came to the UK for shows or deployments they went home in a slow trickle thanks to “engine issues” :rolleyes:

Hmmm maybe we could do a part-exchange deal for KC-330 tankers…I know you’d love to see those at KIAB 😀

Mind you, even better, we could just impound the ones on DG 😀 😀 😀

Can we have some B-2s too please, SOC? Pwetty pwease? 😀

I guess when you consider Trident co-operation etc. then the tech transfer isn’t such a big deal. It would have made more sense for them to have got their heads together 10 years back as far as Raptor for the UK is concerned: far too late now.

I’m more than happy with EF and JSF as things stand in 2004 😎

Originally posted by PAF Fan
I know I am going to get stick for this, but does the RAF REALLY NEED more then 200 Eurofighters!?

It’s more a question of shorter hospital waiting lists, illegal immigration, visible poilicing, low direct taxation and better schooling all being higher up the agenda to win elections, PAF Fan.

Oh, plus Iraq costing £5 million per day or whatever that cost runs at right now….

Were they at AA2004 too? :p

I know, not even Arthur lets rip like that 😀

I have no reason to doubt it though: that press release is from MBDA’s own offices.

Cheers

Steve

Originally posted by EN830
As a pseudo agnostic I would like proof of his diety credentials

Freudian typo, EN830!?

From the photos I saw of Snapper there was no evidence of “diety” whatsoever 😀

Cheers

Steve

Re: Hoon to ditch warplane (Typhoon!)

Originally posted by bluey67
I know this is from the Sun, but still…

By GEORGE PASCOE-WATSON
Deputy Political Editor
The planes, called Typhoons, will not carry air-to-air missiles or precision-guided air-to-ground weapons.

Just about says it all eh, Bluey! 😀

Into battle with catapults and pea-shooters then! 😀

Actually the two photo captions on that page are probably far more accurate:

The bomb’s rush … Geoff Hoon is set to scrap orders for the ill-fated Eurofighter

and

Hoon … on brink of axing orders

This is from Sep 30th last year, Transall:

METEOR MISSILE INTEGRATION TRIALS WITH EUROFIGHTER TYPHOON COMMENCE

MBDA undertook the first trial fit of a geometrically representative METEOR missile with Eurofighter Typhoon, one of the three current aircraft platforms (Eurofighter Typhoon, Rafale and Gripen) on which METEOR will be integrated. The trial took place over the weekend of 20th and 21st September 2003 and was declared a complete success.

MBDA was awarded the multinational METEOR contract in December 2002 and in eight months has moved quickly to determine the external missile geometry and build the first full-scale model. The ground tests were conducted by MBDA in conjunction with a BAE SYSTEMS team in the first phase of ‘fit and form’ compatibility checks with the Eurofighter Typhoon part- recessed under-fuselage eject launch stations and the multifunction rail-launch wing stations. The trials proved successful with no clearance or access problems.

The next stage of the METEOR trials involves a full-scale live firing of a METEOR missile in a wind tunnel facility in France. This will take place in 2004 and is a unique opportunity to test the missile at various angles of incidence and side-slip in a ground facility which provides representative flight altitudes and missile speeds. This trial will be followed by the first development missile flight tests from the Gripen aircraft in Autumn 2005.

The METEOR contract is planned for completion in late 2010, following development guided firings from both Gripen and Eurofighter Typhoon. In addition, MBDA is expecting to receive aircraft integration contracts during 2003 to work with Eurofighter, Dassault Aviation and Saab Aircraft to undertake integration work on all three aircraft platforms. These aircraft integration programmes will be conducted in parallel with METEOR development, thus enabling the air force of each of the six nations under the METEOR programme to optimise their in-service date.

Commenting on the success of the trial, Marwan Lahoud, MBDA’s Chief Executive Officer said: “The integration of the METEOR missile with Eurofighter Typhoon, Rafale, Gripen and indeed future platforms such as the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter provides a unique capability in the Beyond Visual Range combat envelope of the weapon system. This milestone was an important step in the MBDA METEOR development programme and is an early demonstration of MBDA’s intent to work in close co-operation with all the leading fighter aircraft industries around the world.“

Notes to editors

The £1.2 billion (€1.86 billion) fixed price prime contract for Meteor was signed in December 2002 at the Defence Procurement Agency in Abbey Wood, Bristol by the DPA on behalf of the Governments of France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Sweden and the UK.

Meteor is the future long-range air-to-air armament selected jointly by Germany, Italy, Spain and the UK for the Eurofighter Typhoon, by France for the Rafale and Sweden for the Gripen fighter aircraft. The ramjet technology and advanced seeker capabilities of Meteor will provide these aircraft with the most advanced weapon system capable of countering all projected air-to-air threats.

Meteor is a highly manoeuvrable, fast, Beyond Visual Range (BVR) air-to-air weapon system. Guidance is provided by an active radar seeker, based on the enhanced technologies from the MBDA Aster and Mica missile programmes. The missile is designated targets from the launch aircraft and is capable of operation by night or day, in all weather and in dense electronic warfare environments.

Powered by ramjet propulsion, the motor provides Meteor with a high speed performance which is maintained throughout the engagement. This gives the weapon the energy to defeat fast, manoeuvring targets at extreme range. Meteor is equipped with both a proximity and impact fuse which, in conjunction with the blast fragmentation warhead, ensures total target destruction.

Meteor’s kinematics and high kill probability combine to ensure an unequalled combat performance and pilot survivability, even against the severest of threat senarios.

Meteor is designed for compatibility with current and future aircraft missile launchers thereby facilitating integration with all contemporary and future combat aircraft.

Steve Rush ~ Touchdown-News