Letter by James Cartlidge MP to Defence Committee adds more info to ongoing programs:
- prototype series Challenger 3s assembled over the autumn and go to trials early 2024. Shephard reports 8 P-series
- contracts for new EPSOM modular armour and TROPHY APS both planned in-year
For GMLRS, "increased numbers" confirmed but not detailed. GMLRS Extended Range approval next summer (tests for ER ongoing, so there a slip from this summer). UK demonstrators for Area Effects and Sensors Dispenser on track. He says France MIGHT join Land Precision Strike project
Regarding Air Defence, more Sky Sabre launchers coming with decision "in summer" (DSEI announcement?), also Assessment Phase launch for:
- Integrated AD C2
- Medium & Short range AD sensors
- Mounted SHORAD (Stormer replacement)
- specialist "Counter-Small (C-RAM, loitering, UAS)
He adds that very high readiness light forces will have lethal C-UAS capability by October, and non lethal soon afterwards. Pretty sure he is referring to Project 6 and the SMASH computerised rifle sights and incoming electronic "guns" for the non lethal part.
In another letter, David Williams reports that Sea Venom IOC by year end. Future Cruise and Anti-Ship Weapon work with France continues; passage from current Assessment phase to "Manufacture" is currently expected in 2025. Presumably it's Demonstration first & Manufacture.
Back to Air Defence, note UK has already procured 10 Giraffe 1X radars (plus one for use on the Royal Navy's experimental ship Patrick Blackett), so the Short range AD sensors is arguably already well on the move. Assume "Medium" will complement or even replace Giraffe AMB.
For the "specialist Counter-Small", assume MSI will be pushing its PALADIN, which the MOD has already field tested, in combination with the already mentioned Giraffe 1X radar. A capability currently completely missing from the roster, but critically important for the future.
If Assessment Phase for Mounted SHORAD has indeed been given the green light, the chances of hearing something (i won't say a order yet, but something substantial) at DSEI about BOXER Skyranger go up. The letter is dated 3 august even though it has only been published now.
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Most people has probably heard about Operation INTERFLEX at some point: it's UK-led, allies-supported training of troops from Ukraine. Very possibly even more crucial is however op INTERLINK, aka the multi-modal, multi-nodal delivery of thousands of tons of vehicles, ammo & gear.
UK has been central all along in the enormous logistic enterprise of getting the equipment, from all over Europe, all the way to Ukraine. By march last year the UK team "merged" with a US team in the "International Donor Co-Ordination Centre", physically based in Germany.
The US have deployed a large HQ element, initially from 18th Parachute Corps, to oversee the support to Ukraine. In November 2022, a 300-strong, dedicate "Security Assistance Group - Ukraine" was formed. The International Donor Co-Ordination Centre is its J4 (logistics) branch.
In May 2022, Lockheed and Northrop figures told defence committee that UK MoD had no yet firmed up plans for F-35s beyond the 48 in Tranche 1 (over 30 of which are in use, with deliveries ending in 2025; production lot 17). That was not unexpected, though, it was still early days
A Written Answer the month before (25 april 2022) had revealed that funding had been delegated to Air Command for a second tranche of F-35s. This means money is formally "handed over" from Central MOD to the relevant Command to begin the procurement effort.
In December 2022, the US DoD committed a first billion+ USD in Long Lead Items for F-35 production lot 18, at the time comprising 118 jets, with more to be added along the way as multiple customers completed their own planning and appropriation processes.
A thread thrashing the Challenger 3 programme is doing the rounds on Twitter, and i want to offer a few counters to its claims. I do not, in any way or form, agree with anyone who tries to say "Challenger 3 is a Leopard, but worse". That's demonstrably nonsense.
Of the many questionable things said, the weirdest one is about the new armour. I don't see why we should think new EPSOM armour mix is a retrograde step in protection unless everyone in Army and DSTL have passed to the enemy. I would like to think that is not the case...
Active Protection System: Challenger 3 is getting TROPHY, like the latest Leopard. Protection-wise, Challenger 3 will be AT LEAST on par. Survivability-wise, Challenger 3 will be better, if nothing else because it does not have ammo stored in the hull without blow-off panels...
Regarding A400M ability to airdrop boats, which has come to be totemic in ability to support "special forces" (i'm probably more concerned about the Submarine Parachute Assistance Group...), process to procure an initial 25 Large Boat Air Drop platforms began last year.
Main contender is exact same system already used on C-130s, the MCADS by IrvinGQ, consisting of 2 platforms (PURIBAD and PRIBAD), handling RHIBs from 6.5 to 12 meters long. In the december 2022 tender, ground assessment in Brize Norton is/was planned for september 2023.
The MOD is also looking for an initial 40 Medium Weight Air Drop platforms for the A400M, to be used for launching vehicles, artillery pieces and other equipment up to 12 tons.
I want to make my opinion clear about "the Army". It is not that i wouldn't like, or consider useful, a larger british army, but I get the feeling that too much of the discussion only ever leads to a self-licking lollipop. What geopolitical change is supposed to come out of it?
My absolute priority for Land is structuring and resourcing the toughest, most survivable and hard hitting deployable force that the available manpower and budget can sustain. An enablers-rich force that smaller armies could and would wish to attach to (JEF and beyond) during ops
If by whatever kind of miracle (read: gutting Navy and Air Force) i could rebuild army up to 2 Divisions (note of caution: Poland started building up its fourth mechanized division in 2018 and expects to be "done", all being well, by 2029), what would i have solved, in practice?
It is a well known fact that timelines slip and ambitions sometimes are not realized, but fact is: Royal Navy is working on its Future Maritime Aviation Force vision of a variety of drones integrating helicopters and a "standard" carrier wing of 2x F-35B Sqns (24 embarked jets)
The road to FMAF is undoubtedly long and complex. Much of what is being pursued was, quite simply, never done before. There is no ready manual, much of it has yet to be written and progress will come in stages, both for technical and budgetary reasons.
1) carriers: Royal Navy has already demonstrated it can operate both to sea at same time if needed, and might do so again this autumn, considering Prince of Wales is scheduled to return and work up ahead of high readiness next year, and QE will be deploying.