douggie, I’m starting to suspect you were on the T45 design team 😀
You were the one that stated, very clearly, that two helicopters would burn through the consumables stores at twice the rate of one airframe. Seeing as a ship will be stored to provide perhaps 20 sorties, for one airframe, before resupply then halving that isnt such a wise idea. In the face of that you still think operating two choppers on the resources designed in for a single is practical do you?!!.
Your quoting me out of context if this is the post you are refering to http://forum.keypublishing.co.uk/showpost.php?p=843587&postcount=61
Having a bigger hangar for 2x helos does not mean you have to increase the amount of aviation fuel, weapons and spares carried, it just gives you the option of using them up twice as quickly.
A big hangar T45 could still sail with 1x helo or no helo at all, and it’s very short sighted to say that a 2nd helo would never be useful.
Two choppers cannot do the job of one if the parent ship is in the wrong place to deploy them. I repeat, for the last time, that this is an AAW escort NOT a GP multirole support vessel – we DO NOT NEED multirole vessels of the type you seem fixated on because we build specialised units!. An AAW escort shields high value units – it will be held back to do that rather than chasing around pretending to be an LPH or an ASW Frigate.
I disagree, there is no place for single role specialized warships in the RN’s shrinking fleet, just as there is no place in the RAF for single role aircraft.
A few cruise missiles and the option to carry an extra helicopter would not have stopped the T45 from doing it’s main AAW mission.
You said “2x helos can be in two places at the same time.”
Yep but doing what?. Picking up the mail from an RFA whilst another cross-decks the CO to another ship for a quick spot of tea?!. Vital reasons to have multi-chopper capability to be sure!.
You also said “2x helos mean you still have a helicopter capability if you loose one to action or unservicability.”
…but then helicopter capability is not in the least critical to the performance of a Type 45’s principle mission so, if the chopper is in bits for a few hours, its not really a big issue.
Do you really think the T45 will need to perform the AAW mission all the time? I don’t anyway, it will be called upon to do all manner of missions over it’s service life which will range from disaster relief to anti-terrorist patrols. The benefits of operating 2x helos will also include
Search and Rescue – twice the area searched = twice the number of people rescued in half the time.
Anti Surface unit Warfare – attacking from two different directions with twice as many weapons.
Sign In
