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[Rob47]

yes and yes


Bob

Is it fitted with any type of ciws?
Are the generators big enough?   

[Rob47]

Maybe its a service thing but as one blue to another (RAF Launches), recent events have shown the need for big ships, disaster relief with all the frigates being asked for would not be of any use. As he said Falkland's showed the limitations of Invincible class. Harriew was a good plane in its day but that day is long gone. 


BZ to both QE and POW


Bob

[warspite]

So the most obvious question would be - why not build an upgraded harrier - bigger more powerful (engine wise) therefore faster, a sort of transition version, learning from the old one what its weak spots were and improve it, the designs there - the technology is better than it used to be, could be a british job maker without having to rely on a US plane or European, with a call to have the politicians to keep there nose out until its built. just my opinion.

[Bob K]

This was under development back in the Sixties.  The Hawker Siddeley P1154 was to have been a Mach 2.0 V/STOL aircraft to be built in both RAF and Royal Navy variants.  Unfortunately the project was killed off in 1965 by the usual political cancellation route.

[raflaunches]

Interestingly the P1154 engine was run at all speeds for over 1000 hours and now resides in the FAA Museum at Yeovilton. And the government of the time said that they couldn’t see why we would need a supersonic Harriet when we had a harrier already!

[dodes]

Why not go one step further and fit a magnetic catapult then use more faster and better armed planes!! After all what happens when the F35 becomes obsolete?

[unbuiltnautilus]

To become obsolete, surely something better needs to come along? The way development costs are spiralling, something revolutionary seems to be needed..Drone 2.0 anyone...and I don't mean Predators, I mean DJI Phantom SST

[dodes]

The Chinese have squadrons of super sonic drones for some time now, capable of air to air combat.

[RST]

Harriew was a good plane in its day but that day is long gone. 

I work with an ex-RAF tech and he is substantially less than complimentary of the Harrier though I am not sure all ex-RAF guys I meet hated most of thier alloted aircraft these days.  We put a tender through Rosyth yard once and we were apparently presented with no end cost or timescale.  My old PM said at the meeting the yard had no concept of completing a job within any forecastable budget or timescale "how can we possibly commit?" was their answer.  So rightly, the job went elsewhere, and, rather than putting it through the preferred shipyard, our company had an offshore yard abroad we ultimately had to put it through -who also had no concept of time or money in the end and it was a nightmare.  The ship got towed out for completion back in the UK.  Apparently it was the first time the DNV inspectors allowed a ship to sail out with more CC's than it sailed in with, and highly unusual some of the more important original CC's hadn't been attended to at all!!!!!  So it's not just the MOD who has huge somewhat unjustified costs.

Do we have much to worry about these days anyway with Trump and N Korea etc?  I think apart from upsetting my Mother, I fear Trump more than anyone else in the world.  Perilously close to Dr Strangelove scenario these days.

[dodes]

Hi RST, regards to your mistrust/fear of Trump, my father served throughout the last World War in the Andrew and he always said after observing them at close hand. "The next war, Britian will be fighting with the Russians against the U.S.A!!!

[Colin Bishop]

For all the vaunted talk of a 'special relationship', at the highest political level the US has always put its own interests first and shied away from getting involved with Europe, except of course after WW2 when Europe had to be put back on its feet but even then we had to pay back all the aid they gave us and we only finally settled the debt a few years back.

After WW1 the USA regarded the UK as a potential enemy in its strategic planning and its wargames made this assumption. During WW2 the US Navy top brass were quite hostile to the RN in many respects despite reciprocal respect at lower levels particularly for our anti submarine expertise during the Cold War.

As they say, Countries do not have friends - only interests. Don't expect a decent trade deal from 'America First' Trump!

Colin

[unbuiltnautilus]

For all the vaunted talk of a 'special relationship', at the highest political level the US has always put its own interests first and shied away from getting involved with Europe, except of course after WW2 when Europe had to be put back on its feet but even then we had to pay back all the aid they gave us and we only finally settled the debt a few years back.

After WW1 the USA regarded the UK as a potential enemy in its strategic planning and its wargames made this assumption. During WW2 the US Navy top brass were quite hostile to the RN in many respects despite reciprocal respect at lower levels particularly for our anti submarine expertise during the Cold War.

As they say, Countries do not have friends - only interests. Don't expect a decent trade deal from 'America First' Trump!

Colin

Trump today, gone tomorrow? We can only hope that some form of sanity returns to our comrades across the water. They can only elect those they are presented with though, rather like us in that respect.....I respect them all equally

[dodes]

I was reading an interesting article on line a few weeks back. The USA under disclosure after so many years of sensitive material, released a USS Navy plan made in about 1939 on invading Canada in the event of the U K being defeated by Germany!!

[Liverbudgie2]

I see that she has been deployed to the far north to render assistance to a heavily laden transport craft and its crew.

https://ukdefencejournal.org.uk/hms-queen-elizabeth-urgently-sail-arctic-circle-support-multinational-air-transport-mission/?utm_source=FB&utm_medium=UKDJPage&utm_campaign=social

LB

[Tug-Kenny RIP]

Amusing.     

ken

[jarvo]

Liverbudgie, the person who wrote the article needs a medal, superb humor


Mark