The S1850M sees further than Sampson – but see what Stan says. Ship-mounted radars have a much closer horizon than something high up in the air.

Does that mean the no ship-mounted radar can see anything on or close to the surface beyond its line-of-sight horizon? (How far would that be? 20nm?) So a ‘long-range’ radar on a ship only refers to the detection of high-flying aircraft?

That Project Khareef design, modified as Jonesy proposes, could be the new Leander, covering C2 and with some modifications, C3 also.

Personally I would make the hangar bigger (wider?), to accommodate at least two helicopters and some UAVs. Also the main gun doesn’t have to be anything more than the Oto Melara 76mm, or even the Bofors 57mm would do.

Fa-223 (the single engine is in the fuselage)

http://www.aviastar.org/helicopters_eng/focke_drache.php

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6SrUyNG4fYA

Excuse my ignorance here, but if the main requirements of an ASW vessel are to tow a large sonar array and operate one or more ASW helicopters, why do they have to look like dashing destroyers from WWII?

….
You do realize that defence is a mere 2% of State’s expenditure and shrinking, yes…?

Liger, maybe you should check the facts before launching into a tirade.

http://www.nato.int/nato_static/assets/pdf/pdf_2010_06/20100610_PR_CP_2010_078.pdf

Last year the UK’s defence expenditure amounted to 2.7% of GDP. Like almost all NATO countries, there was a reduction in defence expenditure following the end of the Cold War, but the level has been in and around 2.5% for the past 15 years.

Furthermore, UK defence expenditure (as % of GDP) is much higher than the NATO European average of 1.7%. Only the US and Greece spend more.

Lockheed Martin Corp., Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co., Ft. Worth, Texas, is being awarded a $13,035,539 modification to a previously awarded cost-plus-award-fee contract (N00019-02-C-3002) to incorporate the shipborne rolling vertical landing capability into the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter for the United Kingdom. Work will be performed at Fort Worth, Texas (54 percent); Warton, United Kingdom (35 percent); El Segundo, Calif. (7 percent); and Orlando, Fla. (4 percent). Work is expected to be completed in October 2013. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity.

1. What exactly does that $13 million of work consist of?

2. Does that mean that every F-35B bought by Britain will cost $13 million more than the F-35Bs bought by the US Marines?

1. Why are both the Chinook and Merlin (non-Navy) needed? Do their capabilities and roles not overlap?

2. Why is the RAF still operating helicopters at all? Better leave that to the Army and the Navy.

3. The Navy needs an updated Lynx. The Super Lynx 300 would do, but if the Lynx Wildcat is past the stage of ‘no return’, then it just be acquired, but only for the Navy.

4. The Army needs a basic flying truck to replace the Puma that can deliver a infantry squad with attachments – say 10-12 fully equipped soldiers – crewed by two pilots and two loadmasters/door gunners.

40 is alnost certain to be the first batch of F35s ordered, standard UK OCU and OE are 24 and 4 with a squadron of 12 equals, you guessed it, 40, and they are the only aircraft which need to be paid for in the 2011-2015 timeframe.

Why would you need a 24-aircraft OCU if there is only one operational squadron of 12 aircraft?