- Joined
- 27 September 2006
- Messages
- 6,089
- Reaction score
- 6,206
I got into hot water on another thread for trying out an
idea on RN ships and their armament in the wrong place.
I do think, however, the issue of whether the RN has the
right ships is an important one. However, I put it in the form
of questions as I am nowhere near as expert as others here.
If the Royal Navy had followed other NATO and Western navies
in building ships with US supplied weapons rather than its own
sometimes odd creations would it have been better off. As an
example take the Falklands in 1982.
Instead of the County and Type 42 destroyers with Seaslug
and Seadart give the Task Force a similar number of ships
with Standard missiles in batches corresponding to the ages
of the ships involved.
Instead of Ikara and Exocet, assume that destroyers and frigates
were equipped with the standard 8 round ASROC pepperbox launcher
and in some cases Harpoon rounds.
For point defence, Sea Sparrow on older ships, a small number of
Vulcan Phalanx systems on later ones.
For airpower, the question is a bit harder as the US could not offer
equivalents of the Harrier so the Task Force either has to have a
pair of Essex class/ or type ships with a mix of F8s and A4s/A7s
as the closest match to Invincible and Hermes. Similarly the USN
had no equivalent of the Lynx/Seaskua combo, so helos would be
limited to Seakings and Seasprites for ASW.
UK 75
idea on RN ships and their armament in the wrong place.
I do think, however, the issue of whether the RN has the
right ships is an important one. However, I put it in the form
of questions as I am nowhere near as expert as others here.
If the Royal Navy had followed other NATO and Western navies
in building ships with US supplied weapons rather than its own
sometimes odd creations would it have been better off. As an
example take the Falklands in 1982.
Instead of the County and Type 42 destroyers with Seaslug
and Seadart give the Task Force a similar number of ships
with Standard missiles in batches corresponding to the ages
of the ships involved.
Instead of Ikara and Exocet, assume that destroyers and frigates
were equipped with the standard 8 round ASROC pepperbox launcher
and in some cases Harpoon rounds.
For point defence, Sea Sparrow on older ships, a small number of
Vulcan Phalanx systems on later ones.
For airpower, the question is a bit harder as the US could not offer
equivalents of the Harrier so the Task Force either has to have a
pair of Essex class/ or type ships with a mix of F8s and A4s/A7s
as the closest match to Invincible and Hermes. Similarly the USN
had no equivalent of the Lynx/Seaskua combo, so helos would be
limited to Seakings and Seasprites for ASW.
UK 75