Re-arming the UK: What equipment? and how much?

[Flyaway]

Tekever AR5 Will Replace British Army Watchkeeper

LONDON—The UK defense ministry has confirmed that Tekever has secured a contract to replace the British Army’s fleet of Thales Watchkeeper uncrewed aircraft systems (UAS).

Tekever will supply its twin-engine AR5 air system as part of a £400 million ($530 million) deal, the defense ministry said July 25. Through Project Corvus, the Army will initially acquire six AR5 systems, with 24 to be delivered by 2029. The aircraft will be built at Tekever’s new manufacturing facility in Swindon, England.

 

[FighterJock]

Good to see that the AR5 air system will be built in Swindon UK.

 

[DWG]

We need Royal Ordinance back.

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/...panies-to-supercharge-uk-munitions-production

 

[Reuben James]

Hey, we don't have a specific T45 thread (that I can find), but this is tangentially relevant to this thread as well, so I might as well ask here.

I'm doing some minor changes to a T45 ShipBucket artwork to reflect the post-2030 T45 (nothing super in-scale or accurate, it's for personal use), and I was wondering if anyone knew the likely location of the Dragonfire mounts being added to the ships? Are they replacing the 30mm on those sponsons, or is it sitting above the hangar, or next to the Phalanx mounts, or somewhere else entirely?

Thanks for the help!

 

[Titus K]

The UK Ministry of Defense has discovered that the Royal Navy’s new fleet of spy drones, being operated by elements of the Royal Marines since March, have been secretly transmitting information from the drone’s primary camera to China, according to an investigation from The Telegraph.

Components of the camera on the K3 Scout, a 27-foot-long multirole uncrewed surface vessel (drone boat) built by Kraken Technology in the United Kingdom, were produced in and secretly transmitting data to a device in China. An investigation into the drones revealed that the cameras were transmitting “heartbeat communications” – data to confirm they were online and functioning normally – to an IP address in China.

https://twitter.com/x/status/2086636963956916321

View: https://x.com/sentdefender/status/2086636963956916321

 

[zen]

Incompetence.

 

[Forest Green]

Incompetence.

You say that but how many countries have the same problem but haven't discovered it yet? Taiwan later discovered something similar.

 

[GK. Dundas]

China has pretty much acquired a lock on the electronic's market. It's almost impossible to keep track where a lot of stuff is manufactured.
Somehow I am not surprised

 

[Yellow Palace]

Incompetence.

Agreed. The author of the article should know that the UK has never had a Ministry of Defense.

 

[aonestudio]

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jJpK-Li4LrY

https://www.baesystems.com/en-us/product/shadow-ew

 

[timmymagic]

The Alloyed Argive 1100 is powering the MGI Tigershark, with 2 engines. 1100N is c247lbs of thrust, so Tigerhark has c500lbs of thrust.

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/...gine-takes-to-the-skies-in-under-seven-months

 

[timmymagic]

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jJpK-Li4LrY

https://www.baesystems.com/en-us/product/shadow-ew

Worth noting that that is BAE Systems Inc. so any product is US IP.

 

[Scott Kenny]

Just posting the link, i struggle to see the RAF going Boom and Drogue, thats a lot of training to keep up with, i guess it possible,

More training is good. Plus, it's relatively segregated. C130s and P8s getting Boom time (and any RC135s still in service), everything else getting drogues.

Yes, and GCAP getting boom eventually.

 

[timmymagic]

More training is good. Plus, it's relatively segregated. C130s and P8s getting Boom time (and any RC135s still in service), everything else getting drogues.

Yes, and GCAP getting boom eventually.

Here's the Uk refuelling list...

Boom
E-7 Wedgetail
P-8 Poseidon
C-17 Globemaster
RC-135W Rivet Joint (although by the time it arrives RC-135W might have left service)
GCAP
F-35A (if we buy it)

Probe and Drogue
Typhoon
F-35B
A400M
CH-47 - New build (if we ever use A400M for tanking)
Merlin HC.4 (if we ever use A400M for tanking)

 

[Scott Kenny]

Here's the Uk refuelling list...

Thank you!

Thought the Hercules had a refueling boom receptacle, though?

And IMO the UK needs to get the tanker kits from the USMC and install them on either Hercs or A400s.

 

[timmymagic]

Thank you!

Thought the Hercules had a refueling boom receptacle, though?

And IMO the UK needs to get the tanker kits from the USMC and install them on either Hercs or A400s.

All the C-130J are gone now.

 

[Scott Kenny]

All the C-130J are gone now.

My contempt for the people controlling what the MoD keeps on hand increases yet again.

 

[timmymagic]

My contempt for the people controlling what the MoD keeps on hand increases yet again.

To be fair C-130J was purchased purely as a stopgap capability due to delays with A400M, when A400M arrived and entered service it was always planned to remove C-130J and sell on. UK was the launch customer for C-130J and they got worked very hard for Afghanstan and Iraq. The issues with A400M are nowlargely resolved, but not all particularly in airdrop, however an additional purchase has been floated for a while and has yet to materialise. But in truth at present with the A400M's increased capability and C-17 we actually have more airlift than we know what to do with...but there were many who advocated retaining the last 16 x C-130J for SF work, potential for AAR for helos and for the landing grounds where you might not ant to risk A400M....in retrospect a couple with MAFF would make sense as well...but there is only so much money and aircrew to go around...

In the Cold War we had c60 C-130K (equivalent to C-130E)...the A400M and C-17 represent a vast increase in capability, lift and range. It would be nice to have another 8-12 A400M though...and to get A330 MRTT with a cargo door...