A space programme, a nuclear weapons programme, an ABM porgramme and a carrier programme and as you say, people complain when WE dont give enough….:(:mad:

And according to the Times of India, Indian defence chiefs have approved $11bn of funds to boost the country’s submarine fleet. The cash is intended to see India become the first non-Western nation to deploy long-touted, much feared “air independent propulsion” (AIP) submarine technology.

Mount Peasant works two-way, you know. If they were to capture it, for a thing, they wouldn’t have to launch their planes from Tierra del Fuego and have 5 minutes for the attack before running on Bingo fuel.
That already would be a game-changer factor.

Argentina has had quite some time to do something about that but there has not been one whisper from anywhere that they are equipping to do so and these days even ludicrous rumours go round the world in minutes.

From today’s telegraph, elsewhere i’ve read that foreign aid is right up on the top of people’s lists on what to cut, so will the coalition listen??

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/7884333/Navy-carrier-costs-could-school-Africans.html

Navy carrier costs ‘could school Africans’

Two thirds of children in Africa not currently in primary school could be educated for the cost of two new aircraft carriers for the Royal Navy, Britain’s development secretary has suggested.

Andrew Mitchell said that Britain would continue to fund and support the campaign for universal primary education around the world but that it could not increase its spending without saving elsewhere.

He added that all governments should reassess their spending priorities and that if Britain were to modify its plans for two new aircraft carriers, it could single-handedly achieve the aim of 1 GOAL.

The World Cup organisers’ legacy project aims to provide the 72 million children out of school around the world with a primary education by 2015, an ambition that forms part of United Nations development goals. Mr Mitchell was speaking at a summit of world leaders hosted by South Africa’s president Jacob Zuma ahead of the World Cup final to raise awareness of 1GOAL and push leaders to honour their commitment to extending education. Western donors have pledged to spend £7.3 billion a year to get 32 million African children into primary education.

His comments follow strong hints from Defence Secretary Liam Fox that he will seek to withdraw from the order for the “Cold War era” aircraft carriers in an attempt to plug a defence budget black hole. The cost of the project so far is £4.9 billion.

Mr Mitchell said Britain funded primary education for 4.8 million children in the UK and five million around the world but much more could be done “for the cost of the aircraft carriers”. “Achieving that goal for children everywhere to go to school is extremely important”.

64,000lbs of bombs on a VC-10? It would have needed 20,000 feet of runway. 😮

I suspect they would have used the 40,000lb engine that Vickers was saying would be available by 1968 for the Poffler ALBM carrier – upto 8 Skybolts…..

Another possible load for a VC-10 variant (this time the ‘Modular VC-10’) was upto 18 air-to-air missiles for long range stand off interception – it was called Red Barrel and seem similar in concept to the US Project Aerie using C-135 and 24 AAM-N-10 missiles. The pictures for the Red Barrel variant show it carrying CF.299 missiles.

Vickers developed external pods for its Valiant bomber each carrying 6 x 1,000lb bombs.

Extended versions of these each with 8 x 1,000lb bombs were proposed for a VC-10 bomber variant with each aircraft carrying 8 pods – now that would have been interesting.

For escorts I would have liked to see a heavily modified T-82 with the Sea Dart and 4.5 Forward, 2x Ikara amidships like the RAN Hobart and a Hanger for 2 Lynx or 1 Seaking aft.

Does anyone know if an amidships Ikara layout was considered for the Type 82?

.funny how witht hte new CVs they RN got the lifts right but messed up the island(2) again. Would the CVV have been able to handle the F-14?

What’s the problem with two islands, the US was going to use them on the follow on to the Essex class.