The Victories are appallingly top heavy, in any sort of slop they roll worse than a Adams class DDG.

I watched one making very uncomfortable way during a Kakadu exercise some years back, I was on a Fremantle, and while not exactly comfortable we were rolling and pitching far less than they were and making the same speed.

Unicorn

Yes, China offering to buy lots of A320s, A330s, A340s and A380s trumps selling a few subs to Taiwan.

Unicorn

It is a derivation of the same base design as the Irish and Mauritious OPVs, the hull form is very similar and all were designed by the same design house.

The Irish design originally incorporated a hangar, but this was not proceeded with, and the final design chose diverged markedly from the original design which resembled the Mauritious OPV Vigilant.

A slightly modified version of the Mauritious design was also offered to the Thai navy.

Unicorn

Try the following web site, which has models of the OPV, IPV and MRV built for Tenix to their plans

http://www.defencemodels.com.au/Projects/OPV.asp

Unicorn

Don’t forget that the DDL was also fitted with space behind the bridge for SSM launchers, probably the quad Harpoons launchers.

As I am building it in 1/72 scale it will look as if it is service now,

so Phalanx in place of the 30mm, Nulka added, Quad Harpoons, RIBs instead of boats and so on.

Should end up looking good on the water.

Unicorn

I was under the impression the UAV being trialed was the Predator,.

The Ministerial release notes “US company General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI) will be jointly conducting the trial with Defence. A UAV system, made by the company, will serve as the aerial platform for the trial”.

General Atomics builds the Predator does it not?

Given the distances involved in the NSW area I would have thought this helicopter-style UAV would have been too slow and too short ranged, particlualrly with only a 180Km data link range.

Unicorn

Guys, a small amount of realism needs to be injected into this thought.

The JFK has a combined ships crew and air group numbering in the THOUSANDS!!!

Most european navies have issues manning effectively the frigate and destroyer navies they have, where the hell would they get the people to man a white elephant of this size?

Australia sure as hell couldn’t, neither could the Netherlands, Germany, Spain, Italy, Argentina or Chile.

The Royal Navy might, but onoy at the cost of immediately decommissioning both of the remaining Invincible class CVS and probably half the frigate force.

There is a reason only the USN operates a fleet of operational large deck CTOL carriers, they are the only country rich enough and the only navy large enough to do so.

Unicorn

I always thought that Dreadnaught looking proposal for the new British Destroyer program looked cool, though with a bow that sloped down it would have been better as a sub design.

And on the water

Unicorn